Covert Ops
by WinchestersDollFace
Summary: Five-0 expected Ali Sarna to be a nurse for the them, little do they know she's actually an operative and that an assassin is after her. Can Five-0 help before Ali has to figure out what the consequences are for being a professional liar? Steve/OC
1. Prologue

**Before anyone says that my prologue is ridiculously long, I realize that. I just wanted to introduce my character as a thirteen year old and then as a seventeen year old! **

**Prologue **

**September 2001 **

**Sarna Porch in Manoa, Hawaii**

A young, thirteen year old pale blonde girl sat on a swinging bench on her aunt's porch in Manoa, Hawaii. The setting sun on the horizon didn't make her smile, but, rather, scowl. To the young girl the sunset was just a reminder that she had done absolutely nothing with her day, but she knew that it could have been prevented… if only her brothers had taken her out with them and their friends.

"Alexandra," the girl's aunt, Krystyna Sarna, brought attention to herself.

"Yes?" Alexandra Sarna asked hoping to conceal her sadness within her. Not only was she forced to stay at home, but she was forced to stare at her beautiful aunt; she was tall, thin and had envious, curly, honey blonde hair that reached down to the middle of her back. Not only that, her heart was bigger than the entire world. This made Alexandra feel like a gnome when she stood next to her aunt. Sure, she did have pale blonde hair, but she also had pale skin and wasn't exactly like every other Hawaiian girl… meaning she wasn't as thin as the other girls or Krystyna.

"What is the matter?" she asked in Polish, trying to make Alexandra more comfortable.

"Josef and Max want nothing to do with me," Alexandra spilled wanting to kick herself in the butt. She didn't want to tell her aunt anything, especially worries (that had been something she used to do with her mother, who was now dead because of _him)_.

"Oh I'm sure that's not true," Krystyna replied reminding Alexandra of her mom.

"Josef is out with Leah, didn't bother to ask if I wanted to go to the beach. Max is out with…" Alexandra's voice drifted off as she almost blurted out the name of Max's best friend, Steve McGarrett.

She didn't want anyone to know that she perked up every time he passed by, that she became more optimistic when he smiled at her and wanted to hang out with him every time he was in town (for some reason his dad sent him to the mainland when he was sixteen, three years ago, and he joined the Navy).

"Max is with who?" Krystyna broke Alexandra's thoughts making her blue eyes widen.

"With Mr. McGarrett's son," Alexandra answered, casually avoiding saying "Steve McGarrett".

Alexandra noticed Krystyna slightly smile, which made her think that her aunt knew something.

"What?" she questioned turning pink and tugging at her jean shorts.

_I hope she doesn't know I like Steve_

"I don't know if you're ready."

Alexandra was instantly interested in what her aunt didn't want to tell her, but she didn't want to seem too interested because then her aunt wouldn't tell her.

"Okay, sounds fair," Alexandra replied standing up from the bench and walking towards the steps.

"Hey, come back, Josef is going to propose to Leah today!" her aunt shouted after her to make her turn around.

Alexandra smiled deviously and then faced Krystyna.

"Really?" she questioned with real surprise. She truly had no idea that Josef wanted to marry Leah, he never had been the type to hold on to a girl before, or ever. He had gone to an all boys' school when their parents had been alive, so he didn't date there, but in college he met Leah and Alexandra assumed she would just be the first of many.

"Yes, he feels that he's ready to make that commitment," Krystyna chuckled as a blue 1960's Mustang pulled up in their driveway.

Alexandra thought it was only her second to oldest brother, Max, but she noticed that he was accompanied by Steve. She ran up the steps of the house and tried to squeeze past her aunt who wouldn't let her through.

"Krystyna, _please_, I have to go," Alexandra pleaded. She didn't want Steve to see her the way she looked at the moment.

Her hair had been thrown up into a giant mess atop her head, her makeup included only mascara and she was wearing an ugly hot pink shirt with her jean shorts over her pale, pale, _pale_ legs.

"Please, please please..." Alexandra squeaked as she heard to footsteps of either her brother or Steve on the stairs.

"Hi boys," Krystyna welcomed as Alexandra tried hiding her face in Krystyna's shoulders (she decided a fake hug would look better than her trying to shove her way into a house) because she knew it was red.

"Hey vanilla ice," Max greeted patting her shoulders.

"Hi," she replied in a muffled tone still not facing the boys.

_I hate it when you call me vanilla ice! I'm not clear like ice! _Alexandra screamed in her mind.

"Hi Alexandra. It's nice to see you," Steve said making her melt inside as he stepped inside. The nineteen year old recognized her! He said hi! It was an accomplishment!

When the boys were out of sight and out of earshot Alexandra darted to the swinging bench and Krystyna gave her a very skeptical look, coming to sit next to her.

"My dear, little, Ali," she began. "Steve McGarrett is a very good guy for a girl to have."

"Oh God," Alexandra sighed.

"But, you should wait until you are of age," Krystyna advised standing back up and heading inside.

Suddenly Alexandra had an idea; what age did Krystyna consider "of age"?

"You mean like fifteen, right?" she shot up following her aunt.

When she heard no reply she ran up closer and offered, "Sixteen? Seventeen? I'm not going any higher than seventeen!"

Krystyna simply rolled her eyes and went into the kitchen leaving Alexandra in the living room with hope for the future.

**June 2005 **

**Honolulu International Airport **

Alexandra watched the suitcase carousel dumping more and more suitcases of other passengers, but not hers. She watched it anxiously and feeling annoyance take over the zen mood she was in earlier.

_I did not leave sophomore year for this, _she complained to herself. _Come _on_, I just graduated, I'm seventeen, about to be eighteen in five months, I don't need this!_

Suddenly she saw her forest green suitcase with a light pink ribbon tide to its handle plop out of wherever the carousel brought them out of and make its way around to her. Before she could walk up to it though, she noticed some man's tattooed arm grab it and lift it off of the carousel.

She didn't look to see who took it because she started to run towards them and when she was right in front of the culprit, she saw that it was none other than her old, old crush, Steven J. McGarrett. He definitely had gained muscle and had a tattoo on his right arm, his hair was still dark and he was still taller than her.

"You?" she asked feeling rude right after she uttered the words.

"You?" he mimicked her smiling.

"I'm sorry, I was just surprised," Alexandra apologized. "How did you know that was my suit-"

"I watched you from within the crowd standing by the carousel and when I saw you walking towards the suitcase I decided to play a little trick."

"You're a jerk!" she laughed playfully punching his arm, which ended up hurting her more than (probably) him.

When he turned around she shook her hand and mouthed the word "ow", but when he glanced back at her she smiled hoping she didn't look like to much of a goon.

"So I thought my family was supposed to be picking me up," she brought up.

"Yeah, they were, _but _Leah went to an allergist's office, she thinks something she's allergic to is making her get sick everyday, so Josef went with her. Your aunt… she had a little too much too drink today and Max asked me to come get you, so that he could stay home with her," Steve explained.

Alexandra nodded her head; she couldn't say she wasn't disappointed, but she understood. Leah and Josef always had something to attend to and after Alexandra moved because of that _happening_, Krystyna started drinking… heavily and Max always took care of her.

"Hey, Steve, I know you probably didn't want to spend your vacation picking me up, but-"

"Hey, come on, your brother is my best friend and I'd do anything for his sister," Steve smiled at her making her feel a little bit better about the fact that her family had not come to see her after two years.

When they reached the parking lot of the airport Alexandra looked up at the sky. The sun in Detroit was never as glorious as the sun here.

"I've missed it here," she told Steve.

"I always miss it when I leave to the mainland," he revealed to her.

The first week home Alexandra began to reconnect with everyone she used to be friends with at Kukui High School, her siblings (Leah was her sister now) and Steve even started asking to hang out with her. He told her about a party he and Max were going to go to and asked her to go with them. She told she would go and, as usual, felt her heart soar.

At the party (which ended up being in some club) Alexandra was talking with Steve and learned that he was training to become a SEAL in the Navy, Mary (his sister) was going to school in California and that he felt a little distant from his dad. As luck would have it, people from her Kukui class were there and attacked her when they saw her, making Steve excuse himself and join the group they came with to the party.

"Oh my gosh! Alex!" one of her friends called her by the name that made her stomach cringe. "Remember we danced to this song for regionals?"

Alexandra listened a little closely and it was _Lights _by Ellie Golding, the song the dance team at Kukui High School danced to and won. Her friends dragged her out on the dance floor and made her dance the routine, which she could still remember to this day.

After her performance, she chatted with her friends until one of Max's friends, Mason, came up to her, drunk and high, and began to bother her. He wanted to "hook up" with her, which she found whore-ish, as she did just meet the guy.

"I told you that if you hit on my sister, I'll break your face," Max threatened coming to Alexandra's rescue.

"Oh come on, it isn't like Steve is going to ask her out!" Mason blurted out throwing his hand around Alexandra's shoulders making her cringe and look at Max with pleading eyes.

"Get off of my sister," Max said in a very demanding tone. Alexandra's friends didn't do anything except look at the entire scene before their eyes.

"What if I want to do this," Mason said forcing his tongue down Alexandra's throat. She could taste alcohol which made of think of how her aunt became a drunk.

She ripped herself away, slapped him and then Max decked him in the face.

"Stay away from her," Max hissed as Mason struggled to get up.

When he finally did he grabbed Alexandra's arm and dragged her to the other side of the club. She could see Steve making out with the girl Max brought, Catherine.

Alexandra shoved Mason off of her and hurriedly walked out of the club with tears slipping down her face. Once she was out of the club she slipped out of her shoes and started running home. When she reached her room she began throwing all of her stuff in the suitcase she brought from Detroit. She couldn't stand being by an alcoholic aunt, people like Mason and a crush who never reciprocate feelings for her. She was leaving town… For good this time.

Alexandra heard the downstairs door slam shut and Max came running into her room.

"I'm so sorry, baby sister," he told her in Polish embracing her. "I had no idea that would happen, any o-all of it."

"Max, I don't think I can stay," she cried into his shirt.

"I know, I know. I can't either," Max revealed to her. "I really got into it with Mason, I beat him up really bad-"

"Max!" Alexandra shouted.

"STOP SCREAMING!" Krystyna screeched unrecognizably from her room.

Alexandra closed her eyes, "She's drunk-"

"She's always drunk. My point is, Mason is fine, but I want to get out of here. Cath… she and I were supposed to be together, but then Steve…"

Alexandra understood exactly how Max felt, she was going to be very empathetic.

"I'll leave the Mustang at Josef's and we're going to the mainland," Max proposed and Alexandra nodded.

Despite the six year age difference between the them, Alexandra and Max always thought alike.

"The mainland, eh?" she smiled still feeling her heart shattering.

"The mainland," Max confirmed.

**I am also aware that Ellie Golding's song **_**Lights**_** hasn't come out until 2010, but I couldn't think of a different song because I was listening to it as I was writing this, so let's just pretend, okay? I promise I wont pull something like that again O: ). **


	2. Chapter 1: Reunion

**I know Steve isn't introduced until a little bit later, but this was only to illustrate Alexandra's life as a spy to make that claim more believable : ) Also I hope you guys enjoyed it! **

**Chapter 1: Reunion**

**May 27, 2010 **

**Prince Royale Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya **

Alexandra opened her tired eyes and stared at the ceiling that wasn't hers. She was in a semi-nice hotel, on a mission and was supposed to be getting ready to talk to a diplomat; however her entire body ached from the grueling spar her team put her through the night before. She rolled over to her right side to look at the alarm clock on the small, wooden nightstand. Instead she saw one of her friends and team members, Derek, sitting on a chair he pulled up next to her bed.

"Go _away,"_ she croaked collapsing down on the bed. "You're the reason I smoke."

"But you love me, comrade, and smoking is bad for you" he joked standing up and walking over to the balcony window. He peered through one of the shades and then turned around.

"Get up, our friend the diplomat loves the company of beautiful women, not the company of me," Derek smiled.

"Got it, so we're sending Odette in, right?" Alexandra asked.

"You are the covert operative, Odette is just the weapons," Derek replied sarcastically. "Why do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Degrade yourself?"

"What?"

"You think you're hideous in comparison to Odette," Derek pointed out.

"No I don't," Alexandra denied standing up and walking to the bathroom to wash her teeth.

"Don't let yourself feel that way, blondie" Derek advised. "Twenty minutes and I want you in a dress and heels."

Alexandra heard the door slam just as she began to brush her teeth and make faces in the mirror. After that she brushed her hair and put some makeup on to make herself feel better about her appearances. When she stepped out of the bathroom her phone began ringing. She groaned as she walked to answer it.

"Hi, Demetrio," Alexandra greeted knowing it would be her task manager (nobody knew her number besides her team and Demetrio).

"Hey, somebody called Captain Olsen's office trying to find you," Demetrio informed her.

"What?" she asked surprised.

"They said their name was Sarna, so I figured I'd call you."

"Patch them through to me," Alexandra sighed. Right now was really not the time to have a family reunion, but she assumed if Demetrio was allowing the call through, then something must have happened.

"Alexandra?" she recognized her brother's voice.

"Hey, Josef," she smiled.

"Hey," he said as she felt her heart pound. They haven't spoken in ages.

"Josef, I'm sorry for not keeping up, but I just couldn't everything made me think of …"

"I understand, Max's death hit us all pretty hard and then Krystyna's even harder," Josef assured. "I just can't believe nobody was able to find his body…"

Alexandra wanted to sob when Josef said that, Max had been the only person that was able to understand Alexandra and now he was gone. He died during one of her first missions for the CIA, a year ago when she was a new face in the agency. After Max's funeral Aunt Krystyna died, she had over worked her liver with drinking, and Alexandra buried herself in work. The last time she spoke to her brother was her aunt's funeral, six months ago.

"Listen," Josef caught her attention. "Steve McGarrett's dad was murdered two nights ago."

"What?" Alexandra's shock almost caused her to drop her phone. "Jesus, I need a cigarette."

"His funeral is in three days, can you make it?" Josef asked her.

"Of course, Jo-"

"Alexandra!" Derek shouted running in, closing the door and bolting every lock shut.

"I'll be there, Josef, hugs to everyone, I'll call later," Alexandra ensured hanging up her phone. "What happened?"

"We have to go."

"Oh who did you bother?"

"A very important guy who now wants me dead. You have a view of the pool, right?" Derek asked walking towards the balcony.

"God, Derek, this was supposed to be a quiet mission," Alexandra complained gathering her things into the one duffel bag she brought with her on the mission.

"Pool, right?" Derek repeated.

Alexandra could see what he was getting at. He wanted to jump off of her balcony into the pool.

"Yes," she answered as there was a knock on the door.

She glanced at the door then at Derek who was lifting the mattress she slept on, off of her bed and pushing it towards the balcony. He was going to throw it into the pool to make a sort of a landing pad for the two operatives; in other words they wouldn't break their bones when they hurdled themselves into the pool.

"No, I don't need any help, thanks for asking," Derek grunted.

"You're doing fine," Alexandra sighed as she pulled out a semi automatic gun from the bottom of her duffle bag along with a silencer. "Besides I have to welcome our guests."

"Just don't make any trouble," Derek warned as she was twisting on the silencer.

"You already did that without my help," she smiled as she heard the sound of the door splintering from the force used to open it.

"Kuacha!" a grizzly voice shouted from the doorway as Alexandra aimed her gun at the attacker's knee.

"Hakuna," she shouted back, applying pressure to the trigger and sending out a bullet.

The man fell to the ground, screaming for backup, but Alexandra was more satisfied with the fact that she still had not killed anyone (unless they were clearly going to kill her) just because they were in her way.

"He's got friends, Derek," Alexandra shouted as she heard shouts coming from the hall.

"Done," Derek informed, letting out a sigh of relief once the mattress had fallen over the balcony into the pool.

"Let's go," Alexandra remarked as the two agents jumped from Alexandra's hotel room onto the mattress in the pool.

**May 30, 2010**

**St. Michael's Church, Honolulu, Hawaii**

Alexandra tugged at the short, black dress her sister in law, Leah, allowed her to borrow. In truth, she didn't mind dresses, in fact she loved to dress up every once in a while and feel like a princess. It was the shortness of this dress that bothered her.

"You had no other dresses?" Alexandra whispered in a hiss to Leah.

"No!" the strawberry blonde, freckled woman answered as Alexandra noticed a bald man staring at her, wearing a cheap suit and aviators. Alexandra assumed he was a part of the FBI and her recent stunt in Kenya raised some questions of where her loyalty lied.

She looked at her sister in law and asked "Leah, but why this dress? Why on earth did you give me this dress?"

"**I**t's cute and you look cute and-"

"I have to go to the bathroom," Little Max piped up. He was so small Alexandra had forgotten that he stood in between her and Leah.

He was a small, four year old boy who had light brown hair (compliments a la Josef) and a little face that reminded Alexandra of a cute mouse.

"I'll take you," Alexandra smiled taking his hand and leading him down the procession aisle after bowing for the cross. She heard footsteps behind her and knew that her FBI tail was following her.

In the bathroom Alexandra looked in the mirror and frowned. She _still_ didn't fit in with the others (by others she meant native Hawaiians, her old friends _and _her family) at all. She was still pale and had blonde hair and blue eyes. When she was in middle school she always wanted to have gorgeous, brunette hair, bronzed skin and dark eyes so that she wasn't the odd person out in Kukui Middle School*.

"I'm done!" Little Max announced as the sound of the toilet flushing filled Alexandra's ears.

"Wash your hands, babes," she directed turning on the sink as the little boy neared her with a small toy in his hand.

"This is Optimus Prime, he's my hero," Little Max informed her.

"Max, were you playing with that in _there?"_ Alexandra asked pointing towards the stall as the little boy began washing his hands.

"No, he was in my pocket!" Little Max assured turning the sink off, wiping his hands on his pants and taking Alexandra's hand with his free one.

Alexandra smiled. She loved children, but felt awkward around them. They always wanted your attention, which she found adorable, and they always had so much love for everyone. However, aside from Little Max, no child seemed to like her. In fact, kids always seemed to become extremely quiet whenever they were around her.

As Alexandra was opening the door to leave the family bathroom she heard Max drop his toy and turned her head to see if he was okay (she also had a fear that little children would break themselves if she didn't have her eyes on them twenty four-seven). Suddenly she felt something or someone run into her and she whipped her head forward.

In front of her, stood an incredibly handsome, incredibly tall man in his Naval uniform. Her mouth almost fell to the floor because he looked so... so amazing. She pretended that she was distraught from their run in, but she couldn't deny to herself that her stomach was in knots because the man was attractive.

"Um.." she blurted out as she noticed her FBI agent's shoes from beneath a curtain covering a window.

"Alexandra?" the man asked her with surprise in his tone. Her first reaction was to deny it, but then she remembered she wasn't on a mission, she was at a funeral.

She was shocked that the man knew her, but, then again, she hadn't taken time to look at his face in detail. Her eyes drifted to his face and she felt as if music should have gone off. The man was Steve McGarrett. She didn't know whether she should be happy or sad.

"Hi, Steve," she smiled… so she couldn't help herself. One half of her wanted to hug him and talk for hours on end with him, the other half wanted to run away, cry and feel miserable for herself because of his kiss with Catherine.

"I heard about Max and Krystyna, I'm so sorry," he said as he embraced her.

She felt safe in his arms, but she didn't want to feel that way in _his_ arms. What right did he have to make her feel that way?

"I'm so sorry for what happened to your dad," she replied, trying to punch down the antagonistic feelings her ego was shoving up.

"I am too," Little Max whispered hiding behind Alexandra's legs.

Steve slightly smiled at Little Max, but then looked down at his feet, "He's your son?"

Alexandra's eyes widened when he asked her that. Did she look like she's had a kid? She looked like a housewife? She knew it! She knew that Leah's annoying dress made her look like a stuck up, desperate housewife.

"No, Little Max is Josef's," Alexandra answered feeling more self conscious than ever.

_Great, I look like I belong in the suburbs, taking care of my _son_, _Alexandra thought. There wasn't anything wrong in living in the suburbs taking care of your kids, but she just wasn't ready to be a housewife yet… maybe in few years… like when she turned thirty in six years.

"Oh," Steve said, looking back up at Alexandra.

"What have you been up to?" she asked trying to change the subject. Maybe he would tell her about how he was a Lieutenant Commander in the Navy (she recognized his uniform and the pins on it).

"Still in the Navy, only difference is that I'm a SEAL," he told her. "How about you?"

That questioned she had to think about. She could tell him any job in the world, except the one she actually had.

"SEAL, that's got to be scary … and rewarding," she stalled as she thought what she should tell him. "I'm a nurse, in Kenya, helping the Somali refugees there get medical help. Right now, though, I'm sleeping at the old house."

She hadn't exactly lied to him. She _did_ have a nursing degree, she just didn't _work_ as a nurse.

_Who am I kidding, I'm totally lying right now,_ she thought.

"Africa," Steve nodded his head understandingly. "It's rough there."

"Yes, it is," she went along feeling awful for lying to Steve, but she couldn't tell him, not as long as the FBI was behind that curtain.

"I'll catch up with you later, I have to go back there," Steve pointed inside as he bent down to be at Max's level. "It was nice to finally meet you Max."

Little Max smiled at Steve, "Nice meeting you, Mr. Steve!"

Steve laughed as he stood up, "I'll call you."

"The house has the same number," she informed.

Steve hugged her once more and walked inside to his pew.

"You like him," Little Max said when Steve was out of earshot.

"Max, what would make you say that?" she smiled cunningly, glancing towards the curtain to see the FBI man was still hiding behind it.

"You turned pink," Max remarked.

"Oh silly, Max," she brushed the incident off of her shoulder.

She wasn't going to get her hopes up. Steve would always have her heart, but she had to power to decide if he would have the power to break it or not. This time she wasn't going to let him have that power, she was going to keep it herself in tact until she left Hawaii to return to her normal life… which included espionage now.

**May 30, 2010 **

**St. Michael's Church, Honolulu, Hawaii **

Steve walked down the procession aisle to return to his pew. He couldn't believe that Alexandra Sarna came to Hawaii. She seemed a little distant and cold as if Steve had done something to her, but what? He also didn't understand why she rarely came, but then again he hasn't been the type to visit family here either. He turned his back and saw her walking towards her seat in the Church.

He may have not understood why she had become cold towards him, but he knew that she was beautiful and that underneath the ice queen exterior, she was still the smiling, happy girl he fell for five years ago.

"Commander, would you like to say anything?" an altar boy asked, breaking his train of thought.

"No," Steve denied. Before the phone call Victor Hesse forced his father to make to Steve, the two hadn't spoken in almost a year, he wouldn't know how to show everyone that he was the picture perfect loving son because he wasn't. His father sent him and Mary away when they were kids, what could he say to justify that to everyone who knew?

**May 30, 2010 **

**Unknown location**

"Have you finished?" an older man's voice asked the young woman who sat with her legs crossed on the bench she sat atop of.

"But of course," she replied cheerfully as she looked up at her scenery, a beach. "Soon we'll be able to be in Marseilles with new names, père."

"And the subject is unsuspecting?"

"None are besides mon mari, vous, and je," the woman answered. "Les deux opérateurs sont confiants. "

"That is good," the older man replied. "This is to be a clean job, make it look as if one of the guerilla soldiers they ran into did this."

"Je comprends," the women confirmed, hanging up her phone and standing up to go swimming.

**I'm not going to lie, I totally stole the mattress thing from Burn Notice, but I love Michael Westen's ideas so much. Will use my own ideas in later chapters! **

**Also to clear this issue up; Alexandra and Max ran away from Hawaii to DC. Max joined the CIA immediately when they arrived there, Alexandra went to school for Nursing, but wanted a career with her brother, so she joined after she graduated from college. In addition to that, I would like to clarify that Alexandra is 24 and Steve is 30. I think in the show he's a few years older, but age doesn't really matter **_**that **_**much.**


	3. Chapter 2: Not Her Home

**Chapter 2: Not Her Home **

**May 30, 2010**

**O'ahu Cemetery, Honolulu, Hawaii **

Alexandra gaped wistfully at the two graves that were in front of her. One of them belonged to her deceased brother, Max, and the other to her Aunt Krystyna. She was supposed to be at a different cemetery, honoring Jack McGarrett, but she decided that she couldn't go until she put flowers on Max's and Krystyna's graves first. She bowed her head, not knowing what to say or if she should even say anything at all. She felt a sudden sadness sweep over her, she wanted to cry and curse God for letting them die. All she did, though, was drop to her knees and put one rose on Max's headstone and another on Krystyna's.

_Maxmillian Sarna, _she read. _Brother and Uncle. Died July 8, 2008._

"I miss you both," she whispered. "I'm sorry you had to die the way you both did."

With those last words she stood up and began to walk to her car, which she inherited from Max. She stopped walking when she was halfway to the car to glance back at the graves.

"I love you guys," she whispered as she did the sign of the cross and turned around to drive home.

_Home. It's just a house, _she thought. _A house that Krystyna left to me, but it isn't _my _home. I have no home. _

**Same Day **

**Sarna House, Manoa, Hawaii **

Alexandra stood in her aunt's old house (which belonged to her) near the front window. Earlier, when she returned from the cemetery, she changed from Leah's annoying dress into a white jumper dress that had a blue floral print. She was eating strawberry yogurt while staring at a car where two FBI agents were sitting in, tailing her.

She heard the front screen door screech open and her brother walked into the house.

"Hey," Josef greeted. Alexandra quickly glanced at him; he was short for a man, had dark hair, pale skin and hazel eyes, many people said the two siblings were clones of each other… in respect to facial structure.

"Hey bro," Alexandra greeted her eyes fixated on the FBI. "Grab a seat, I know there's only like one couch, but ones better than nothing."

"What are you staring at," Josef asked ignoring her statement about the couch and coming towards the window.

"The Feds," Alexandra replied turning around to throw herself on the couch.

"Wait a minute, the FBI is after you?" he asked in shock. "What did you do? Did you kill their leader" he added in a hushed tone.

Alexandra gave her brother a blank stare, "If you keep whispering like that, their leader will come after you."

"I was kidding," Josef assured sitting down on the couch. "But seriously, what did you do? Can they hear us?"

"No, they weren't in here. I checked for any bugs and they just… you know, want to keep an eye out on me. It's a long story," Alexandra tried to explain without letting her brother know about what happened in Kenya.

"Anyways, look, sis, I was talking with Leah and we know that you don't like being in Hawaii because of the memories-"

"False, I don't like being here because I'm always somewhere else…working… which is something I love," she lied. Josef was spot on when he guessed that it was painful memories that drove her away each time she was in Hawaii.

"_But_, everyone misses you, and we worry all the time. I'm sure with your skills you can get a job anywhere, some police force or something, just please come home," Josef said.

"Josef I c-"

"Please, sis," he pleaded. "When dad did mom in and then died himself I thought I was going to go crazy, but then Max and Krystyna died, literally, weeks apart and you were always out there-"

"Out where!"

"Out there! I don't know! You're always gone and I don't know if you'll ever come home or if I have to go to the morgue and confirm that it's you!" Josef raised his voice. "The point is I can't bear to have someone else die. I'll have to be institutionalized!"

"Josef, I can't just not show up in Langley. I'll get burned!" Alexandra posed, stretching the truth a little (she wouldn't be black listed for not coming in to work; just a slap on the wrist).

Alexandra really wanted to find her pack of cigarettes now. Her abilities and skills as an operative were useless in the presence of her older brother. She would love to stay, nothing appealed to her more, but at the same time she knew she didn't belong in Hawaii.

"Stay for a couple months," Josef proposed.

"A couple more days!" Alexandra countered.

"A couple more weeks!"

"Deal!" Alexandra agreed.

_Just call off work, stay for a few weeks, then go back to D.C, _Alexandra instructed herself.

"That is amazing, sis! Tonight, Alexandra, Leah's going to make a huge supper, so I better see you at my house! Little Max loves you!" Josef gleefully invited as he ran out of the house.

"Thanks for the invite," Alexandra called out after him scraping the bottom of her yogurt cup with her spoon. "I hope she made Polish food, I haven't had any in five years!" she added sarcastically.

**May 30, 2010 **

**Twelfth Precinct, Waikiki, Hawaii **

Steve was a little surprised at what he had done. Never, not once, in his thirty years of being alive did he imagine that he would have to take a position, like he did, from the governor of Hawaii. He was to be in charge of a task force which would have full immunity and means. It sounded like something out of a bad TV show.

"Commander," a young, native officer called. "Here's the paperwork for your father's case."

The officer seemed a little hesitant to hand over the case and Steve began to analyze every possible reason as to why. Maybe it was because Steve was a white man, a _haole_, or it could have been because the jerk detective from earlier warned everyone about Steve.

"Hey, officer," Steve stopped the kid before he could walk away. "What's the news on the other haole detective?"

The kid's eyes widened a little when Steve used the word _haole, _but then he seemed to have composed himself.

"You mean Detective Williams, Commander?"

"Yeah, him," Steve mumbled thinking of the unpleasant encounter he had with the blonde cop.

"He's been here six months. I don't know him that well, but Meka does."

"Meka?"

"He's over there," the officer pointed to a different native man who was older than the uniformed officer and sitting at a desk.

"Mahalo," Steve said walking over to the cop named Meka. "You Meka?"

"Why?" Meka asked.

"Because I need Williams' address," Steve explained in a domineering tone.

The man pulled out a pen , a stack of sticky notes and wrote down an address, "Here. I suggest you listen to an Ipod while you're with him. He's never short on words."

Steve gave Meka a weird look, thanked him and turned around to leave the precinct. He now had an idea of who he wanted on the task force; Danny Williams, his dad's old partner, Chin Ho Kelly and maybe a couple recruits… if he could find any that wanted to be on a task force.

As he was walking towards the door, which was on the other side of the precinct, another young officer ran in with a bloody towel around his hand. Steve saw the captain's door fly open and the captain running out to assist the injured officer.

"Why the hell did you come here? You should've gone to Hawaii Medical!" Steve heard the captain yell.

"It wasn't that bad, I didn't want to waste time," the officer explained himself making Steve hide a smirk as he neared them.

"I swear to God, Mawika, one of these days, you're going to die because you didn't go to the hospital!" the captain shouted. "And you!"

Steve paused when he saw the captain of the precinct stand up and point directly at him. It seemed as if every single pair of eyes in the room was on him. In response, Steve only nodded.

"McGarrett, get your team a nurse, you'll avoid travesties like these!"

"Yes sir," Steve nodded quickly exiting the building.

As he hailed a cab, Steve thought of the captain's words about a nurse. It would benefit them to have one; she, or he, would be in the field with the team, would definitely have to be trained with shooting a gun and had to have backbone. Alexandra Sarna flashed before Steve's eyes. He didn't know if she knew how to shoot a gun, or if she's ever held a gun, but she worked in Somalia, which did tell him that she was brave.

He pulled out his phone and searched for Josef Sarna's number. He knew he exchanged numbers with him in the past; hopefully he hadn't changed it since then because he needed to ask Josef for Alexandra's phone number. Steve wanted her on the team and he was going to ask her to be on it…. And maybe on a date also.

**May 30, 2010 **

**Sarna House, Manoa, Hawaii **

Alexandra was lying on her couch thinking of how she would call her superiors to tell them she wouldn't be going on any missions for the next few weeks. She closed her eyes, not wanting to think of how stressed out she was and how badly she wanted a cigarette. Suddenly she heard someone knocking very lightly on the door, as if their knuckles hurt when they hit the door. She lifted herself off of the couch and made her way towards the front of the house.

When she opened the door she saw the bald man from the church standing there in his cheap suit.

Alexandra smirked, "Sorry, I'm Catholic and I have no interest in joining you in the Jehovah faith."

"Okay, come one, we both know I'm not a Jehovah's Witness," the FBI agent said.

"Could've fooled me," Alexandra mumbled.

"What?"

"Nothing. Keep talking, elder one."

"Alexandra Sarna," the agent began. "If I even suspect that you're trading our government's secrets to anyone in Hawaii, then I will personally grab you and haul your ass to the good ol' capitol."

Alexandra breathed out and shook her head in a sarcastic manner, "Good thing I brought my sneakers. Wouldn't want you to grab and haul me anywhere."

"Watch yourself, or I'll do it for you."

"Geez, where'd they find you? The Babysitter's Club?" Alexandra asked.

The agent looked like he wanted to rip Alexandra's hair from her scalp and fashion himself a toupee.

"It was a joke…just go," Alexandra rolled her eyes as the man retreated down her porch steps.

When she closed her door she let out a sigh. She loved annoying people who were of apparent importance. She felt like it was her job to bring them down to earth every once in a while.

Her phone suddenly began to ring.

"Hello," she said when she pressed talk.

"Alexandra?" Steve's voice asked from the other end.

_Oh God, how did he get my number?_

"No," she quickly replied (sarcastically, of course). "Just kidding, it's me."

"I'm turning onto your block, is it okay if I stop by?" he asked.

Alexandra looked around the house. It was definitely spotless with no furniture, aside from the couch.

"Sure," she replied, her tone indifferent, but her heart racing faster than it did when she was afraid of someone killing her.

"Great. Could you open your door?"

Alexandra opened her door, again. She could see a taxi cab making its way towards her house and the two agents in their car looking lonely. The taxi stopped in front of her house and Steve stepped out wearing cargo pants, boots and a gray polo. She was positive that her heart missed a beat when she saw him, but her mind told her to forget about it.

_He didn't like you before, why would he like you now? _She asked herself.

She saw that the two federal agents were eyeing Steve from their car, but thankfully the street was filled with parked cars and theirs just blended in. Hopefully Steve wouldn't see the two men keeping tabs on her.

"Hey," he greeted jogging up her stairs.

"Hi," she said in a very gentle tone.

_Gentle? I can be gentle? This world has gone mad, _she thought.

"You do know there's two guys in suits sitting in a car, right?" he pointed out to her chagrin.

"Oh yeah," she glanced at the FBI before closing her door. "They live next door, they're step-brothers who are also Jehovah's Witnesses," Alexandra made up.

Steve nodded his head and Alexandra was able to breathe. He didn't suspect she was lying, but then again she didn't really give him a good enough reason to think she was.

"I have an offer for you," Steve informed her out of the blue as he made his way to her couch.

"Alright," she said slowly following him.

"Governor's made me the head of a task force and I need a nurse on the team," he explained to her.

Alexandra felt like socking herself in the stomach. She knew that a lie about her career would come back to bite her in the butt.

"Umm-"

"You'd be working with me and police," he continued on. "But I need a yes or a no."

Alexandra glanced at her feet, she didn't know what to say to get herself out of that lie. If she told him the truth, he'd be angry with her for lying and he probably wouldn't be the only one who was angry. Her team would be for telling someone in the Navy she was a covert operative, her boss would be too and probably even Josef (she made him swear up and down to not tell anyone).

"I'm leaving Hawaii soon," Alexandra posed wishing she had a cigarette in her hand to calm herself down.

"I know, you have work in Somalia. But this way you could be home, here, and I really need help finding Victor Hesse," Steve vindicated. "Look, I need a nurse on the team who isn't afraid of scraping her own knee and you've spent the past few years in Somalia."

She had to stop herself from screaming that it was all a lie. That the last few years she hasn't been in Somalia, but on assignments. Alexandra felt awful, it wasn't that she hated Steve's guts, but she was afraid of being hurt again by him. She very well knew she still felt something towards him, but even if she joined his task force she would wake up every morning wanting to hang herself to avoid embarrassment.

_He loves someone else_, she thought . _This isn't an invite to a date or anything, besides __you__ have a job to finish in Africa, remember ?_

She then remembered that cruel joke Max's friend, Mason, played on her at the club. He led Alexandra to see Steve kissing Catherine (a girl who broke Max's heart by kissing Steve) at that party. Mason knew Alexandra had a huge crush on Steve back then, and decided to break her heart for her. To this day she didn't comprehend why some of the male populace loved to bring down the female populace.

"I-"

"Please, Alexandra," Steve asked.

She wanted to say yes, to work by him daily, but she could already see the way it would play out. She would walk into their headquarters, pretending to be a nurse, Steve would somehow find out she was a covert operative and fire her. Then when she flew to Langley, they would burn her for trying to go rogue and work with the task force.

"I can't," Alexandra finally replied.

"Just one case, then," Steve suggested giving her a half smile which made her insides melt. "I know you think you don't belong here, in Hawaii. But, Alexandra, just listen, I don't see anyone else in that position. I want you there and if you think you still don't belong, then I'll let you leave, no harassment or goodbye parties."

Steve's monologue touched her. Nobody has ever looked her in the face and told her what's what. She was beginning to feel as if she fit in, just a tad.

_Say yes, just say yes, for the love of God, say yes, it's one case! _

"Deal," she smiled.

"Want to go meet our partner?" he proposed tilting his head and giving her another half smile.

"Okay Navy man, let's go meet the other cool cat," she replied rolling her eyes jokingly.

**May 30, 2010 **

**Kilo'aua Lane, Manoa, Hawaii**

"This is wrong," a very skinny man with an Irish accent pointed out.

"No it isn't," the young woman replied tossing her dark hair over her shoulder.

"We're going to kill an innocent person. Two innocent people!"

"Listen, Dec, I love you, you know that," the woman said looking at her husband.

"Of course-"

"Then calm down and just follow my lead. It isn't like you're going to kill them, you're just an accessory."

"That makes me feel _so _much better. You realize they're more trained than us? That we're just the people in the background?"

"So, I still know my way around weapons better than anyone and you're the best at what you do."

"I'm going to get sent to _their _prison, Dette! They don't let people visit you in _their_ prison!"

"Just relax!" the woman shouted as the other young, blonde woman they were stalking was walking out of her house with a very tough looking man.

"Oh God, look at the size of that guy. He's going to kill me if we get caught."

"Dec, he isn't going to kill you because he isn't going to be a problem. That's probably just an old friend of hers anyway."

"He looks like he's killed someone. He'll probably kill me."

The woman rolled her eyes and stared the blonde girl down.

"I can't wait to see your face, Alexandra, when you realize Derek is dead and no one is there to help _you," _the woman whispered.

"Derek isn't dead yet."

"He's being watched," the woman sneered, putting her car in "D" and driving away.


	4. Chapter 3: Common Sense

**Hi guys! Thanks for reading! I can't believe people are actually giving this one another chance! **

**Chapter 3: Common Sense **

**May 31, 2010 **

**Danny William's Camaro **

As the sun was shining brightly overhead, Alexandra found herself _really _wishing she had a cigarette… or a gun. With a gun she would be able to end both Steve's and the blond detective's life and still walk away without anyone knowing that she pulled the trigger. The blonde detective, Danny Williams, was the third team member. He was from New Jersey, had a very low breaking point and was currently yelling at Steve for an incident involving him getting shot.

"Was it when a bullet was tearing through my flesh! Was that when I seemed sensitive to you?" she heard Danny scream at Steve who was sitting in the passenger's seat trying to think of what to say.

When team members couldn't get along in the CIA, Alexandra was used to be reassigned to new teams. If a team wasn't able to function as one unit, then it compromised the mission and the agents' handlers would discuss what course of action they should take concerning the team. Most of the time, the decision to tear the disgruntled team apart was the best one. However in this situation, Alexandra saw something in both men, something that let her know everything would work out… even if Steve was the reason Danny took a bullet.

"You know I am really happy you are not afraid of anything. I'm glad that you have that G.I Joe, thousand yards stare from chasing shoe bombers from around the world," Danny continued to argue, "But in civilized society we have rules. It is the unspoken glue that separates us from jackals and hyenas!"

"Jackals and hyenas"? Steve asked incredulously as Alexandra became more engrossed in their argument.

_Jackals and hyenas? _Alexandra thought about Danny's point.

"The animal planet, whatever. The point is, rule number one, if you get someone shot,_ you apologize_!" he shouted as Steve mumbled something Alexandra couldn't make out, "You don't wait for a special occasion, like birthdays or freaking Presidents Day-"

"Hey man, I'm sorry, I'm sincerely sorry, that's what I was trying to tell you, when this conversation first started, last year." Steve apologized as Danny looked over.

Alexandra couldn't help but smile at the exchange the two men had. Danny was probably going to suffer some type of aneurysm from snapping so spontaneously and Steve sat there listening to the angry detective. She had to applaud both of them, they knew how to argue like two women who wanted the same pair of shoes.

"Your apology is noted, acceptance is pending." Danny said.

"You let me know now."Steven said cuing Alexandra to state her opinion on what they should do next.

"Now that we all know how we all feel, gentlemen, would it be possible to, oh I don't know, try and find Victor Hesse?" she asked trying very hard not to tell them how ridiculous their argument was.

"We need to make a stop, turn left here," Steve informed as Danny turned on his blinker.

Alexandra slumped back down in the backseat and looked out of Steve's window. By chance she caught his eye in the side mirror, making her heart rate go out of control. She knew she was blushing, but she didn't want to look away. Looking into Steve's eyes (or the reflection of his eyes) made her remember all the heart spilling conversations she had with him that long time ago; the way he made her feel like she was the greatest girl in the world…

_As Alexandra laid on her green towel on the beach of North Shore, the sun's rays were beating down on her. She was wearing jean shorts and a loose, white V-neck in order to avoid criticism over her body (she was pale and her bikini wasn't exactly the most flattering piece she owned). _

_She thought of why she had driven so far away from home. She needed to get away from the craziness that her aunt was putting her through. Not only that, but her sick sister in law (honestly, sick in paradise?) and her brothers… who currently thought that a nice welcome back home gift would be to put Alexandra through listening to them argue. The heat made everything ten times worse for her._

This heat is ridiculous,_ she thought as she sat up only to be greeted by the image of Steve McGarrett walking towards her in red swim trunks. _

_Her heart began to beat faster as she realized Steve was here, at the same beach as she was at. She put her sunglasses on, laid back down and thought of all the possible ways that could have made this situation happen. _

"_Alexandra?" she heard Steve's voice. _

_She heaved herself onto her elbows and took off her glasses. _

"_Steve?" she asked, still surprised that he was at North Shore. "Are you here alone?" _

"_I came here with my dad," he explained. "He wanted to go swimming." _

_Alexandra furrowed her brows, "Don't you have a beach in your backyard?" _

"_I told him that, but I guess he just wanted to be around people," Steve hypothesized with a very troubled look on his face. _

"_Oh," Alexandra nodded her head as curiosity took over her heart. "Steve, are you okay?" _

"_Yeah, I'm fine, it turns out this day might not be so bad after all," Steve replied sending her one of his half-smiles. _

_Alexandra blushed wishing she could tell him how much she liked him. How, when he talked to her, she felt luckier than any queen or princess. How, when he stood next to her, she could barely breathe and thought she would faint. All of these thoughts ran through her mind as Steve's dad was finally coming close to the duo. _

"_Making friends, Steve?" John McGarrett asked his son. _

"_Remember Alexandra, dad?" Steve reminded. _

"_Little Alexandra? The little blonde girl who got into trouble all the time?" John asked making her think of how she was always meddling in someone's affairs. _

"_You could say that," Alexandra stood up to not feel discomfited. "It's nice to see you again." _

"_It's good to see you too," John smiled. "I hope you don't get in trouble for breaking your neighbor's window again." _

_Alexandra winced at that memory; the neighbor was a grouchy old woman and when Alexandra accidently sent Max's soccer ball flying towards the window, the woman called HPD and John McGarrett was the officer who responded to the call (he was training a rookie… Jin or Gin, something like that). _

"_Oh, I don't plan on it," Alexandra laughed. _

"_Old lady Mana deserved it, dad," Steve interjected. "She put something one Alexandra's record for no reason!" _

_Alexandra was touched that Steve thought she didn't deserve the offense (which was dropped); it felt like he was supporting her, something she wanted for a long time. _

"_I'm going to set up shop over there, kid," John informed Steve as Steve nodded and waved his dad away. _

"_So what brought you to North Shore?" Steve asked. _

"_I wanted to get away from Krystyna being drunk, Leah being sick and my brother's arguing," Alexandra revealed. "I feel like its all my fault." _

"_Because you left?" _

"_Yeah." _

"_You were forced to leave, it isn't your fault," Steve comforted making her feel better about the entire ordeal. _

"_Yes, but I could have fought harder to stay. Like everyone says, when it comes down to it, _you_ decide for yourself," she posed. _

"_Nothing would have prevented that, Alexandra," he countered as butterflies fluttered…no, pounded her stomach with their wings._

"_Why can't people be more like you?" she blurted out. _

_She wanted to bury herself in the sand. Did she really just ask Steve McGarrett that? _

"_Because then you'd like them more than me," he replied as the feeling in her stomach intensified. _

"_Oh, you think I like you?" she …flirted? _

"_Well, it's common sense-" _

"_Common sense?" Alexandra mocked. _

"_Yeah. We get along so well, our conversations flow. We look great together," Steve explained jokingly. "Common sense." _

_Alexandra stared at him, trying to keep a straight face, but then erupted into a fit of laughter. His jokes made her wish that they were true. It felt like all that was stopping her from telling Steve was her fear of being rejected by him. _

"_You've been in the Navy for _way_ to long," she laughed. "All that water is starting to mess with your head." _

"_My head?" he asked incredulously. _

"_Yeah," Alexandra replied. _

"_Well, it's going to mess with your head too!" Steve shouted, lifting Alexandra over his shoulder and running towards the water. _

_Alexandra let out a yelp when he lifted her. It was unexpected, but she loved it. _

"_I'm in shorts!"_

"_So! You're at the beach, you're in Hawaii!" _

…

"Alexandra?" Danny asked breaking her out of reminiscing about the day at the beach. She saw that the car was parked in front of a gift shop for the Pearl Harbor guide. Steve was out of the car, already halfway to the gift shop.

"Sorry, I was thinking about common sense," she explained.

"Common sense would be useful, especially since I don't know why anyone would want a souvenir from Hawaii," Danny explained in a half angry-half sarcastic tone.

Alexandra smiled, "Some people like it here."

"They're delusional, like SEAL boy," Danny responded in the same tone making Alexandra laugh this time. "The water messes with his head," Alexandra informed; once again, thinking of the time she was on the beach with Steve.

_It must have messed with mine too…_


	5. Chapter 4: When the Dead Come to Life

**Chapter 4: When the Dead Come to Life**

**Task Force Headquarters **

"So how do you know Steve?" the new recruit, Chin Ho Kelly, asked Alexandra in the team's new headquarters.

Alexandra, who was seated at a table drumming her fingers, looked up to see the native Hawaiian man hovering around her, along with Danny. From the four team members, Chin was the oldest and had hair as dark as ink. He wore a Hawaiian shirt, a light blue one that hid a lean torso.

"Yeah, how do you know that crazy son of a-"

" Brah," Chin stopped Danny before anything vulgar was said.

"He knew my brother," Alexandra replied hoping that she wouldn't have to answer any more trivia questions the two men had for her.

"Knew ? They hate each other or something now?" Danny inquired, most likely without realizing he said something until after he finished his question.

Alexandra sighed as her eyes darted towards Steve's office, where he was talking to someone over the phone, probably the governor. His door was closed which meant there wasn't a chance he would hear Alexandra tell Danny and Chin how betrayed by Steve her brother felt. Alexandra couldn't do it though, she couldn't think of her brother because that would lead to thinking of how Max died, how she let him die. It wasn't only that… she was beginning to feel _something _towards Steve.

"No, um," she paused. "They just lost touch."

"G.I Joe probably got him shot," Danny mumbled under his breath as Steve flung his door open and rushed over to the trio.

"Okay, sorry about that," Steve apologized.

"Oh!" Danny shouted. "So, for making us wait, you can apologize without anyone forcing you to, but for getting me shot, which hurts like hell, it takes a miracle?"

Steve ignored Danny's remark and put down a picture of a Samoan man with long hair.

"Thanks to Chin's cousin I was able to come up with this guy," Steve informed tapping the photo. "Sang Min, a Snakehead facilitator who's helping Hesse escape the island."

As Steve was explaining who Sang Min was, Alexandra looked at Chin. The gift shop Steve asked to stop at was where Chin worked at up until now. He was once a cop, but when money went missing from a forfeiture locker everyone pointed their finger at Chin because he was the investigating officer. He was forced to give up his badge and hand in his gun. When she heard his story, Alexandra thought of how she would have been able to help him if she had been here. She would have been able to use what the CIA has taught her to use and free a man enslaved by a bad public image.

"What do you think, Alexandra?" Danny asked pulling Alexandra out of her thoughts.

She glanced at him, trying to figure out what his question was about.

"I'm sorry, I zoned out for a minute," she finally replied.

"We want to catch Sang Min and get him to tell us where Hesse is hiding," Chin explained. "We want to go undercover, but the thing is he'll know if any of us are cops, or SEAL."

It finally dawned on Alexandra that they wanted her to go in to squeeze Sang Min. The idea did sound appealing to her, but what would they all think if she did remarkably well? Steve, who might have had some affiliation to the CIA, probably would start to think she's more than a nurse. On the other hand, it also wouldn't look good if she denied an assignment.

"I'll do it," Alexandra agreed.

"No!" Steve cut in. "I don't know if you know how to shoot a gun, much less deal with a situation like this! I'm not letting you get hurt!"

Alexandra's mouth dropped open; Steve McGarrett didn't want her to get hurt? Suddenly her heart was beginning to beat faster and there was a weird tugging feeling in her stomach. She was pretty sure her face was beet red, but she didn't even want to think about that.

_Pull yourself together!_

"I could just, um," she stammered.

_Just use words, communicate with these people,_ she urged herself.

"Actually, Steve, there is someone else," Chin brought up.

"Great, let's meet him," Steve approved pointing towards the door with a slight smile on his face.

The grin on Steve's face made Alexandra wonder if he noticed her fervent blushing or if he was just happy about Chin's solution.

"Alexandra, come on!" Danny shouted making her jump out of her seat and run after the trio.

**Task Force Headquarters **

As he led his team outside, Steve couldn't help but smile at how pink Alexandra turned a few minutes earlier. He didn't know why she became so embarrassed, but at that moment she looked so, so _…beautiful_.

When he stepped outside, the bright sun hit his eyes unmercifully causing him to squint. He could hear everyone behind him; Danny complaining about his injury while Chin explained that it would heal soon. Steve didn't hear, however, Alexandra joining in at all. He felt terrible for putting her in a spot like this; she was always on the quiet side and had a hard time talking to people she didn't know.

"Commander McGarrett?" a bald man with sunglasses, dress pants and a dress shirt stopped Steve.

"Yeah?" Steve questioned recognizing the man from somewhere.

"Special Agent David Harris, FBI," the man introduced himself pulling out an expensive looking, leather wallet and flipping it open, so quickly that Steve only caught a glimpse of the gold badge . "Can I have a word with Alexandra?"

Steve glanced back at her, but she shrugged her shoulders.

"Concerning what?" Steve asked.

What was going on? Why was Alexandra, a nurse, exchanging words with the FBI? Something didn't seem right to Steve, it seemed suspect.

"Uh, Steve, you guys go on to meet the recruit. I'll have a word with our new friend," Alexandra said.

Steve hesitated, but finally relented after the agent tapped Steve's arm and started making his way toward the building with Alexandra following closely behind. As the two were walking inside Steve noticed Alexandra slipping Harris's leather wallet in her back pocket.

"Your girl in trouble?" Danny asked.

"I hope not," Steve replied worried that Alexandra was fighting against some entity, alone.

**Task Force Headquarters **

Alexandra found herself sitting at headquarters, but this time instead of Danny and Chin playing twenty questions with her, Agent Harris was going on about how she violated some law. Except he wasn't Special Agent David Harris, he was someone else pretending to be an FBI agent. She figured that part out when he flashed a fake badge to Steve; it was a chunk of gold shaped like a badge, but it had no inscription on it.

She managed to piece this all together when, earlier, she excused herself to the bathroom, where she rummaged through his wallet which she pickpocketed. Alexandra discovered, from a letter that was folded many times and written in Russian that he was really David Vlotkovsky, a former agent for Russian Intel who went missing years ago. Alexandra has only heard stories of him, that he was killed by his employers and that it was a part of a cover up. In addition to the letter, though, she found an old ID (why he kept something so suspect on his person was beyond her reasoning).

"Look, I didn't violate anything!" Alexandra defended herself trying to play along.

"It sure looks like you're planning something," Vlotkovsky countered.

"Well I'm not," Alexandra assured the stubborn agent.

"Then why aren't you in D.C? Why are you working in here!"

This question she actually thought about. Why was she here? She should be following orders and boarding a plane to some country in Africa, but she wasn't. She knew the answer just as she asked herself the question – Steve.

"Why, Agent Sarna?" Vlotkovsky repeated himself.

She looked up at him, "I-I miss my family."

"Agent Sarna, while I may not know you personally, I've seen your file," Vlotkovsky revealed, probably lying.

"A file isn't me," Alexandra interjected, restraining herself from rolling her eyes.

"True, but it does show that you've never taken a break, Alexandra. Why all of a sudden do you need one now?" Harris pried making her realize that he did sneak a peek at her file.

Usually when an enemy knew more about her, Alexandra would try to escape, but this was different. Steve and the others would come back to Vlotkovsky. If the rumors she heard from the older agents, then they were coming back to someone who knew how to kill a person in ways she didn't even want to imagine.

She stood up glancing at the clock, thirty minutes passed since the others left to find the other guy. She prayed that she would be able to stall Vlotkovsky long enough for them to come back. Her escape route in having everyone come out alive from this encounter was to reveal Vlotkovsky to the team, which would also make her expose herself.

All of a sudden a blaring noise filled Alexandra's ears, it was the fire alarm. She closed her eyes and thanked God that it went off when it did. She didn't understand why a rogue agent, who was thought to be dead, was after her, but she just wanted to be as far away from him as possible… for now.

"I'll catch you later, Harris," she laughed as she walked towards the door, making sure that Vlotkovsky was too.

**Task Force Parking Lot **

Alexandra was leaning against someone's car, smoking a cigarette as people ran outside to one another, trying to figure out why the fire alarm went off. She didn't care why the alarm went off as long as it made the rogue agent drive away in a car that he most likely stole.

Alexandra turned her head to her right and saw Steve walking towards her.

"What happened?" he asked when he reached her.

"Fire alarm went off," she explained trying to not blow smoke in his face. "Where's everyone else? I wanted to meet the new guy."

"The guy turned out to be Chin's cousin, Kono Kalakaua," Steve revealed, but the name seemed familiar to Alexandra.

"Kono Kalakaua?" Alexandra repeated.

"Yeah, she used to be a surfer-"

"No, no, I know that," she interrupted Steve. "She was a legend among the girls in my class."

"You two were in the same class?" Steve asked.

"She was a sophomore when I was a freshman at Kukui. I can't believe she's going to work here, she's a cop?"Alexandra questioned excitedly.

"She's a rookie, but she decked a guy who stole her wave," Steve laughed. "Look I was hoping to talk to you on a more serious note."

Alexandra immediately knew what this was about, Vlotkovsky.

"The Fed?" she suggested quietly.

"Are you in trouble?" he asked.

"No," she answered. "I-I"

How she wanted to tell him the truth, nothing would have brought her more pleasure. She wanted to come clean so that she wouldn't have to lie, but fear was stopping her.

"What is it?" he kindly requested.

"I-"

Alexandra's phone started to ring just as she was going to tell him the truth. She dug the annoying piece of technology out of her pocket and saw on the caller ID her brother's name.

"Oh, dang it!"

"What?" Steve asked.

"I forgot my brother wanted me to come over, but the Mustang is in my garage because you picked me up today," Alexandra told Steve. "So I can't get there anytime soon."

"I can drop you off over there, if you want," he offered giving her one of his heart melting smiles.

"In that case, I feel that you have to join us for supper," Alexandra offered, hoping with her entire heart that he would accept the invitation.

"I could eat," he nodded his head, unknowingly making Alexandra, probably, the happiest woman on earth. "_Only_ if you tell me what's going on, why are there guys in suits watching your house and coming here."

"Did the Navy teach you how to present a girl with ultimatums?" she questioned, trying to keep a quipping tone.

"No, but I did learn how to ask a girl out to dinner," Steve proposed making Alexandra's heart beat fast, again. "Friday night and you could tell me what's going on?"

"Um-"

"No? Then just forget I asked-"

She was shocked. How could_ Steve McGarrett _think that she didn't want to go to dinner with him?

"Steve, I wasn't going to say no," she blurted out after a second of an awkward silence.

"I knew that," he shrugged off with a grin.

"Really?" Alexandra smirked, doing everything she could do in her power to not faint.

"Well, Nurse Sarna, what can I say?" Steve smirked as a wave of guilt swept over Alexandra.

He still thought she was a nurse and she was letting him think that. She couldn't wait to admit everything on Friday, that way there wouldn't be any more lies and Alexandra would have a clear conscience. Maybe, just maybe, Steve would still want a second date?

"We aren't being paid to sit around this island and not do anything," Vlotkovsky defended himself. He stood in a filthy basement, helping a terrorist set up her torture chamber.

"Well you lost your wallet and Alexandra isn't an idiot. She probably pickpocketed it," the dark haired woman angrily shouted.

"Then she only knows who I am, not what I'm here for," Vlotkovsky argued. "I have no documents in there linking you to me!"

"She'll still know that you're here, she's heard stories about you and she's going to do everything to protect herself from you!"

"You seem to know a lot about your target, Odette."

"They used to be best friends," the thin Irish man named Declan interpolated.

Vlotkovsky looked at the woman named Odette with disgust. He had not known this earlier when she approached him in Moscow with the offer. He may have been a filthy, murderous assassin, but he still valued virtues such as friendship and love. This woman killing her best friend sickened him.

"As much as I appreciate the offer, how can you do this to your best friend?"

"Money is worth more than her," Odette sneered. " She won't get me to Marseilles with papa."

"Your mother must be so proud," Vlotkovsky remarked.

"Her mother is dead," a raspy male voice with a French accent observed. "As for me, I'm not her real father, but a stepfather. Jacques Francois, a pleasure to finally meet you David Vlotkovsky."

Vlotkovsky stared at the man who was descending the stairs. He was as old as Vlotkovsky, but had gray hair and wore an expensive suit. Vlotkovsky felt dread consume him. What had he gotten himself into?

**Sorry that I haven't been on lately guys, school is school, but I did get this chapter done! I hope you all enjoyed it and I am starting Chapter 5 right now so that I can have it done before break is over. Let me know what you think and I want all types of reviews, harsh, critical, good, awesome! I need to know how I'm doing! :)  
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	6. Chapter 5: Je Suis Un Menteur

**Chapter 5: Je suis un menteur**

**McGarrett House**

Steve sat in his dad's old chair in the living room watching the television because when he tried to fall asleep, he kept tossing and turning. It was almost one in the morning and his mind was swimming with questions about so many different things. Firstly, he found a red tool box with "champ" written on it and his final conversation with his dad, Jack had called him that despite not ever having a term of endearment for Steve. He figured it was a clue, but to what? What did his dad want him to know? Why couldn't he have told Steve any of this when he had to leave the island?

Then, Steve couldn't help but think of his sister, Mary Anne. The last image he had of her was when she was young. He remembered her holding a pink backpack, clutching the straps as if her life depended upon it and looking up at Steve who was trying to tell her that they would see each other soon... _that_ was probably the biggest lie he ever told. To this day Steve couldn't understand why their father sent them to opposite ends of the U.S and even though he didn't want to admit it, or even think about it, it hurt. Because of the move, Steve despised his senior year of high school and he questioned whether his dad really ever did love him or not. He even started to question if Mary cared about the family; she hadn't shown up at the funeral.

Finally there was Alexandra. Despite everything that was going on, he couldn't stop thinking of her. He was able to tell what his new partner and Chin were feeling in a matter of minutes just by examining their facial expressions and actions, yet whenever he tried to construe what the young nurse was thinking about he hit a dead end. An air of mystery surrounded her, an enormous wall constructed of the world's toughest bricks separated her from everybody else. However, he believed that he may have had some sort of connection with her. The evening he spent with her at Josef's was quite revealing. He saw, in her eyes, love for her family and _that _alone told Steve she trusted him enough to see that side of her. She was no longer the ice queen he saw at St. Michael's Church, but the old Alexandra. Although this was a milestone, there still seemed to be a few of those bricks in the way, which gave Steve an uncomfortable feeling that something wasn't right. What type of trouble could she have gotten in? He didn't think he would find out the truth, even if he asked on the upcoming evening they would spend together.

The sound of the waves crashing on the shore in the backyard caught Steve's attention for a while. The rushing water seemed to calm him. The unrequited problems faded as his eyes closed. With each breath his limbs felt more like led and he was internally debating about whether or not it was worth wasting his energy on running upstairs to his bed. He finally stood up from his chair, turned off the TV and slowly headed for the stairs. He needed to sleep in his own bed; the team was going to infiltrate Sang Min's gang and he had to be wide awake in order for that to go smoothly. Besides he would have never fallen into a deep slumber if his television kept playing reruns of shows he hated.

**Task Force Headquarters **

Alexandra pulled Max's old Mustang into the parking lot belonging to the government building which served as the team's headquarters. It was six thirty in the morning; she was early, considering that everyone agreed the workday would start when the clock struck seven. She thought of the last few days, she was re-introduced to Kono who looked as stunning as ever and was able to learn more about the people she was working with, at least until she had to leave.

Her eyes scanned over the parking lot and, coincidentally, saw that Steve was stepping out of his new truck. A few days ago she had to wave a white flag, admit that she never had gotten over the sailor who broke her heart so many years ago. She glanced at her reflection in the rearview mirror to make sure she didn't look ridiculous because, as much as she didn't want to declare it, Alexandra actually tried on her appearance today because it was already Friday. She straightened her hair when she woke up and put on a casual, white dress with a navy floral print that reached about half an inch above her knees. The only thing that slightly worried her, were her shoes; she was forced to put on converse sneakers because her lack of having any other style of shoe.

She grabbed her purse from the passenger's seat, took a deep breath and opened the car door.

_You're working; remember that, _she warned herself as she walked towards the building. _You're here to do the job, go on the only date you'll have with Steve where you'll have to tell him the truth and then go back to Langley. _

"I see I'm not the only one who comes in early," she remarked when she was passing his truck.

"I didn't think anyone else would be here," Steve replied, holding a red tool box.

"As I am a servant of the law, handpicked by none other than a valiant commander, I see no reason to laze away my morning only to be greeted by a pile of work in the afternoon," Alexandra explained herself, not noting that she was talking faster and in a more sarcastic tone.

She looked up and saw that Steve bore an expression of bewilderment.

"You should have been an orator," Steve jested.

"Just ignore me," she remarked jokingly as they approached the doors of the building. "Why do you have a tool box?"

"My dad left it to me," he replied. "In his last moments he kept calling me champ, but he's never called me that before in my life."

Steve held up the toolbox and tapped the side, on which there was a sticker that used to say "champion", but now only said champ because someone scratched off the last three letters.

"So you think that he wanted you to find this?"

"I think he was investigating something that nobody else knew about and stored everything in here, but I don't know what any of it means," Steve explained as he opened the door.

"Excuse me if I'm wrong, but I do believe that your workday begins at seven," a familiar voice interrupted their stride.

She turned around only to be greeted by the sight of her CIA colleague, Derek, standing in front of her. Alexandra suddenly felt uncomfortable by the fact that he just came, without calling her or giving her a heads up. Not only would Steve jump to conclusions, but what if someone else saw him? Someone like Vlotkovsky? It wouldn't only mean the end for Alexandra, but for Derek too because he would be considered loose ends.

"Wonderful that you should show up," Alexandra began, feeling annoyance spring up. "_unannounced." _

"Alexandra, who is this?" Steve asked letting go of the door.

"My _dear!" _ Derek interposed sarcastically. "You haven't told the commander about me? I am deeply hurt! First you abandon me, leave me to a macabre lecture from Olsen. Then I fly here only to learn I haven't even been thought about?"

Alexandra rolled her eyes at her colleagues feigned astonishment, "I'm sure you're fine."

"Fine-"

"You know this guy?" Steve questioned , making Alexandra feel ashamed for not introducing her _friend_ to him.

"Steve, this is," she broke off, not knowing what to say.

"Oh it's okay, comrade. I'm Derek Falconer, her partner at the agency," he informed.

"The agency?" Steve pried.

"The _Central Intelligence _Agency," Derek revealed as he extended his hand towards Steve, making Alexandra want to kill herself.

Why, in the name of God, did she have to end up with a partner as dimwitted as Derek?

She glimpsed at Steve who had a confused look on his face. His confusion comforted Alexandra because it meant he wasn't angry…_yet. _

"I think I underestimated you, comrade," Derek remarked to Alexandra, still extending his hand. "You haven't blown your secret in the short time you've been here."

"I want to know what is going on," Steve demanded looking at Alexandra who, now, had become very weak in the knees.

**Task Force Headquarters**

"Derek, I think you should stand outside," Alexandra suggested, tugging at her dress, which now annoyed her.

"Yeah, _Derek, _stand over there," Steve ordered as she stepped into his office.

When he closed the door, Alexandra bit her lip as she thought of how to explain her real profession. She tried to avoid eye contact with the intimidating, yet handsome, SEAL also.

"Avoiding eye contact with me isn't helping you," he stated as she sighed nervously.

"I don't really know where to begin," Alexandra finally said.

"Why don't I ask you questions and you answer them for me?" Steve suggested standoffishly as she nodded in agreement.

"Why was the FBI here yesterday?" was Steve's first question.

"The FBI agent who was here yesterday introduced himself as David Harris-"

"That's not answering my question-"

"_But_," Alexandra interrupted Steve, defensively. "His real name is David Vlotkovsky, a Russian assassin who I think is trying to kill me."

"Why is he trying to kill you?"

"I don't know. Honestly, I don't know. Up until yesterday I thought he was a part of the FBI!"

"Okay then," Steve said, leaning on his desk. "Are you a nurse?"

"I've been put through college to be a nurse by the CIA, but after I received my degree I was bored. I spent all my time in a small clinic in DC, so I was talked into working covert operations," she explained.

"By who?"

Her eyes darted up at Steve, she didn't want to say because it was Max and thinking of him would lead to thinking of _That Day_.

"Can we skip that question?" she asked in an almost inaudible tenor as memories of _That Day_ flooded her mind

"So you work for the CIA?"

"Yeah," Alexandra replied trying not to think of the day her brother died. The guilt gnawed at her insides whenever she thought of it. It was her fault Max died, _she_ was supposed to be not only his partner, but his _sister. _She failed both roles and couldn't even find his body.

"Why are you here?" Steve questioned indifferently, the cheerful, gentle tone was gone, replaced with a cold, unemotional robot.

Alexandra glanced up at him, she stared into his eyes which, in spite of his harsh tone, made her feel safe and wanted.

"I came for the funer-"

"No, that was days ago," he interrupted her. "Why are you _still_ here?"

"I found a reason to stay," she answered, whole heartedly thinking of her family and of Steve.

She couldn't explain why she was suddenly so drawn in by him. They've only spent a few days together and she knew she shouldn't do this to herself, especially after what happened last time. Everything about the commander, though, made her heart race. It was all gone now because she ruined any type of friendship they had.

**Steve's Office**

Steve didn't know how to react to the sequence of events that have occurred minutes ago. Alexandra was a _spy? A spy? _How did she plan on telling him that bit of news? On their date later today? He glanced at her. Someone was trying to kill her and she hadn't told him about it. What did that tell him? It told him she didn't trust him and that hurt.

The nurse-no, spy- was sitting in one of the chairs in his office looking at her feet. Steve didn't know what he hated more, the fact that she lied to him or that she didn't trust him.

"You lied to me," he finally said, trying to ignore the pained expression on her face.

"What choice did I have?" Alexandra shot back suddenly; it was the most heated she had gotten whilst he questioned her.

Steve couldn't believe her. What choice did she have? Whatever connection they had after supper at her brother's house a few nights ago seemed now like nothing. Did this woman not care that he had a heart too? Why couldn't she just trust him, let him in on whatever was going on in her head?

"Alexandra," he began with a sick sensation in his stomach (was her really about to divulge how he felt to her?). "I've never given done anything to make you distrust me. You just _left_ Hawaii with Max one night. You didn't even say goodbye to me. For six years I wished I knew why and then you come back and lead me to believe that you trust me."

He paused for a second after he saw the hurt look on her face which he could no longer ignore.

"I _do _trust you," she whispered.

"Then why wouldn't you tell me the single most important thing that is happening in your life?" he lost his temper.

"Maybe, if I didn't have to see you practically swallow Catherine's face I wouldn't have felt so hurt!" she shouted, quickly standing up and storming out of his office leaving him shocked and confused.

Steve only saw her wave to her colleague and run out of headquarters. He sighed and counted to ten, hoping it would help alleviate the stress and anger that built up within him. Whoever came up with counting to ten was a complete psychopath and Steve wished he could strangle the psychopath.

About ten minutes later Steve was standing by the tabletop computer looking at photos of Sang Min, but not actually thinking about them as Danny walked inside with Chin and Kono.

"He looks about as happy as me when I dropped my malasada this morning," he heard Danny whisper.

"I heard that," Steve grumbled out as the trio reached the computer.

"Shame, I was 'kinda hoping that I wouldn't have to hear about how you mistakenly put two spoons of sugar in your coffee instead of one," Danny remarked.

"I don't _put _sugar in my coffee," Steve retaliated defensively.

"Maybe you should, you wouldn't be such an android when you wake up."

"Android?"

"I lift things up and put them down-"

"I'm guessing it's going to be a long day," Kono interrupted the argument, officially ending it.

"I second that," Chin supported his cousin's comment.

"When's Alexandra coming in?" Kono asked Steve as she swiped her fingers and glanced at the pictures of Sang Min. "I don't want to be torn up on the battle field, assuming Sang Min isn't as dumb as he looks."

Steve didn't know how to answer Kono's question. He didn't want to tell them Alexandra was a spy, but he also wanted them to be angry at her like he was. Angry at her for lying to them, for making them think she could trust them and for stabbing them in the heart… maybe not the last two parts, but definitely for lying.

"I don't think she is coming in," Steve informed.

He saw Chin turn his head with a "what happened" look on his face while Danny immediately let out a short snort of a laugh.

"What happened, Commander Grimace? You shot her and she got angry?"

"Danny," Chin shushed nodding his head as a way of telling Danny to leave for a few minutes.

The short, blonde detective put his hands up in defeat and didn't say another word.

"So why isn't she coming in?" Kono questioned. "Did you say something to her?"

Steve glanced at Kono, but he didn't want to say anything. He wanted to just bury this, forget about it and just live how he had been living the past few years.

"Let's get Sang Min first," Steve ordered.

**The Mustang**

"I can tell you're angry," Derek remarked as Alexandra laughed mockingly.

"What gave it away? Was it the present scowl on my face or that I nearly killed the man who I thought I was going to end up with since high school!" Alexandra screamed, trying to control the speed she was driving the Mustang at.

"Would option c, a little of both, fit the answer to the great mystery?" Derek asked.

Alexandra glared at him, restraining herself from saying something completely insensitive.

"I'm sorry, blondie," her friend apologized after a short pause. "I needed to see you."

"A phone call beforehand would have been nice!"

"Listen, listen! You're going to drive past your house!" Derek shouted just as the ear splitting screech of the breaks made itself audible. "You're being reckless, verging on psychotic with a hint of sadistic."

"I don't care anymore, Derek!" Alexandra revealed. "I just hate everything my life has turned out to be, I say I'm a faithful Catholic and yet I lie to people, people I love. I don't trust anyone anymore and I'm just scared of everything, Derek. I want a life, for once, I just want to be a regular woman who falls in love, gossips with friends, cries over a sad movie."

"Blondie, you stand out from everyone and that's why you're special."

"I hate it-"

"This is about Steve isn't it?" the agent asked as a car behind the Mustang started to honk.

Alexandra rolled her eyes as she rolled her car up a few feet and turned into her driveway.

"He really hates me now," she said realizing how screwed up her life truly was. "I was finally thinking that something normal could happen and of course I had to-"

"If it is supposed to be true love," Derek said. "It will be true love."

Alexandra felt no more anger towards Derek, he had successfully calmed her down. She put her car in park, stepped out of the old Mustang and headed towards her stairs with Derek closely following her.

"Why _are_ you here?" Alexandra asked as she opened the door, turned around and walked inside, backwards.

"I needed to tell you something," he disclosed as his eyes widened, making Alexandra a little confused.

She knew her house wasn't the greatest with its emptiness, but he didn't need to be so rude about it!

"What?" she asked turning around to be greeted by the sight of a string of French words, "Revanche salue le menteur", meaning revenge greets the liar, painted on her wall. "oh."

"Blondie, _that, _is what I came here about," Derek informed in a serious tone closing the door behind him.


	7. Chapter 6: We're A Team, End of Story

**Chapter 6: We're A Team, End of Story. **

**Sarna House**

Alexandra locked her doors and searched her house to make sure that whoever had written on her wall wasn't hiding in any closets or rooms. While she was running around the house, Derek stood in the kitchen doorway, dunking a spoon into a cup of yogurt he found in Alexandra's fridge. When Alexandra reached her living room and saw Derek standing in the doorway, she stared at him with an incredulous look on her face.

"Oh thanks Derek. It isn't like someone broke into the house," she shouted. She couldn't believe that he was _eating _when someone was trying to clearly scare her

"You were doing fine!" he countered, letting out an exasperated sigh. "_And _you didn't want to listen to me!"

Alexandra rolled her eyes and wished she knew where her pack of cigarettes was.

"I had to make sure the house wasn't bugged," she responded heading towards her purse.

She was in _dire_ need to smoke a cigarette since she stormed out of the headquarters earlier. She couldn't handle being called a liar, because… well she hated being compared to _him. _The heartless man she was told was supposed to be her dad. She shook her head as she thought of how much hurt he had put upon her family because of his deception.

"What are you doing?" Derek asked, bringing her back to reality and coming near Alexandra as she found her cigarettes. "Cigarettes? No, I thought you quit!"

Alexandra struggled to keep the pack in her hands, but Derek was too strong for her. With one tug he snatched the cigarettes from her grip causing her to let out a small yelp when she realized she wouldn't be able to indulge in her idiosyncrasy.

"People who smoke cigarettes don't realize how lucky they are to be healthy, Blondie!" he scolded putting the pack in his back pocket.

She glared at him, but understood why he was like that. When they first began to work together, he told Alexandra that she reminded him of his best friend… who in their freshmen year of college died because of lung cancer. She was exposed to smoke since she was very young and ever since Alexandra found out, she has tried to avoid smoking near Derek.

"Sorry, I'm just so-"

"Upset?"

"Yeah, and –"

"Nervous?"

"Yeah and I just want to-"

"Know what this is all about?"

"Would you let me talk!"

"Sorry," Derek apologized with a sheepish look on his face. "Sit down."

Alexandra glanced at her couch, which was still the only piece of furnishing in the living room, aside from a small table. She plopped herself down on the old couch and focused on Derek. The truth was, she was running around her house to keep herself occupied, to not think of her argument with Steve and how upset she had been. She hated thinking badly about him; even when she was a teenager she ran away to avoid dealing with it, to avoid dealing with the anger she felt towards him… so she ran away, just like she did earlier in the day. Telling the people she cared about that they infuriated her was hard, almost as hard as trying to tell them how she felt; sharing her feelings wasn't her strong point. She never had really cried in front of anyone besides her brothers and her mom.

_Mom, _Alexandra thought wistfully of her mom, about all the secrets she shared with her, all the lessons she was taught. It's been a more than a decade and people said that the pain was supposed to go away, but the deaths of her brother and aunt just made everything ten times worse. It made Alexandra feel like everyone she cared about would be placed upon a curse, set to die after receiving her love. Of course the idea was improbable; her priest helped her realize she was ridiculous to think that.

"Remember all those legends about David Vlotkovsky we heard in training?" her friend began, dragging her mind from her preoccupations.

"Yeah, I know that he's here and he was tailing me," Alexandra said. "I even grabbed his wallet when he made contact."

"No way," Derek said distractedly, and then shook his head. "Don't distract me."

Alexandra rolled her eyes and felt like beating Derek, "Just go on."

"I've learned that Vlotkovsky isn't after you…personally," he informed as Alexandra sighed.

"Because that fact makes it _so _much better."

"Would you just listen?" Derek requested in a tone that would suggest he was annoyed. "I've had Demetrio take a look at his financial record-"

"Whoa, Derek, the guy's been off the map since the eighties. How did Demetrio find any type of financial record?" Alexandra inquired.

It did seem a little off that David Vlotkovsky, a rogue agent that was supposedly dead up until now, would have stepped foot in a bank. The first measure any government took if an agent was rogue was to ensure that their ex-spy had no access to money, which meant freezing any sort of financial accounts.

"He's from Russia, as you know, so I got to thinking the man has to do something for money and I doubted that he would waste any talent he had," Derek explained as Alexandra nodded her head to show that she was following.

"Then Demetrio found files about homicides in Moscow that neither Interpol nor local police were able to solve and that's how I knew I had him," Derek smiled. "The business competition in Moscow is high, we're talking one guy killing the next to get more clients."

Alexandra felt as if she were enlightened. Of course! Vlotkovsky would take anyone up on an offer like that; he was a mercenary, hired to kill off any competition one of the rich business men in Moscow had to deal with. He was, according to the legends Alexandra overheard, extremely skilled in handling guns and leaving a crime scene without a lick of evidence. She still didn't understand what any of that had to do with her. Sure, she spoke Russian, but she never set foot in the massive country. Fear was, undoubtedly, a horrid emotion that she could no longer pretend to not feel.

"How does that have anything to do with me?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Three of Moscow's richest and most powerful have been found dead, one of them was Mikhail Cechnik," Derek ventured. "There was a check deposited to him on December 16, 2009."

"Why's that unusual?"

"Because Cechnik was dead December 13th, 2009. He had his hands on the gas and crude oil business, and his rival, Nicolai Drago, wrote out a check for one hundred fifty thousand Euros to Cechnik's accounts. Then when Interpol started looking into it, all the money was gone," Derek revealed. "Vlotkovsky was paid whatever Drago sent to Mikhail's account and whatever Mikhail ever earned in his career. He took Cechnik's money and ran."

"And Interpol lost him," Alexandra concluded.

"Yes, fortunately, though, Demetrio and I didn't. Yesterday, Demetrio found a relatively new account in the Cayman's and, as usual, with these types of things we had to look at the amount of money coming in, whether the bank received the amount Vlotkovsky would have run off with and other paper trails," Derek continued.

"Interpol didn't catch on to that?" she questioned, speculating that there could have been a leak in Interpol.

"That's another matter of investigation that Captain Olsen's handling."

She nodded her head, but her previous question remained unanswered.

"So, why the sudden interest in _me?" _Alexandra solicited.

"Someone paid him to do it, Blondie," Derek unveiled.

Alexandra tried to think of all the people she's encountered as an agent if the CIA, however none of them seemed like they would go to these lengths just to kill her. Except… she couldn't bear to think it…

"Who?"

"Remember, Jacques Francois?"

_Jacques_ _Francois _was the name she didn't want to hear, it was a name she would spend forever trying to forget. The man was a French national who was apart of a cult in Estonia. That wouldn't have bothered the United States government, but there was sufficient evidence against him that proved he was supplying weapons to Al-Qaeda leaders who were attacking American barracks. Alexandra was sent in to infiltrate the cult in the tiny, farming village which had trouble catching up to the times (few houses had electricity and even fewer had running water, she was shocked to see how many guns ran through the place), but when she came close, Francois turned other members of the cult against her… she didn't care that they hated her, she was there for the job, but she almost died.

She was stranded in this village and the psychotic state of mind Francois was in, it caused him to search nonstop until he captured Alexandra and was going to have his personal team of guards execute her in a rather gruesome way. Alexandra remembered that if it wasn't for a little boy who couldn't stand what he was brought into, the cult, that is, she wouldn't be alive; her team wouldn't have been contacted (they were in the Estonia's capital, waiting for her- it had been quite a surprise for them when the little boy showed up) and they wouldn't have rescued her along with the boy. The way the story ended was her having to deal with a dislocated shoulder and 'Francois the Lunatic' in a British MI6 holding cell.

"Yeah, I dislocated my shoulder trying to stop him," Alexandra responded.

"He was released from MI6 supervision, but when I contacted Sir John Sawers he informed me there was a breach-"

"You contact the M16 exec and he tells you there's a breach? A breach? Derek, Francois was locked in a box with a door that weighed more than the Mustang. Someone _let _him out!" Alexandra shouted, feeling herself fall into an untamable frenzy.

"That's why I came, Blondie! I came here to tell you he's out, he has Russia's most wanted on his side too-"

"I can't deal with this-"

"Would you just _listen!" _ Derek yelled causing her to freeze as she was standing up. "Look, I blew your cover at McGarrett's task force _because_ he's good at what he does. I've been here a few days and watched him with you, he's protective of you and that's why you're not going anywhere."

"What? Derek , I have to, I'll get civilians killed if I don't take this to some isolated place," Alexandra argued.

How could her partner not understand? Not only did she not want to deal with the whole situation with Steve, but she could not let any one get killed because of her… not again, at least.

"Alexandra, you have two options. Either stay here with Commander McGarrett or come back to D.C with me and have Captain Olsen shove you on a naval ship where you'll be safe and sound, but reminded of Steve everyday," Derek presented her.

Why was he doing this to her? Couldn't he understand she wanted to figure this out on her own? If her assassin didn't kill her, she would slowly start to feel herself go insane and this time she wouldn't have her best friends, her team, to back her up. She wouldn't have Odette McCullough, the brilliant agent who knew her way around any type of weapon, to help her through the guilt that would eat away at her emotion, turning her into a soulless shell.

"Derek-"

"Blondie," Derek said in a questioning manner.

"Yeah?"

"You made a promise to that man. Now whether you keep that, that's between you and him, but seeing that you would be safe with him if you stayed here while I went back to DC to find our team, I would suggest that you choose this option. It isn't going to kill you if you stay here," Derek suggested in a caring tone. "Figuratively speaking, or whatever the word is to describe any irony in that sentence. What I'm trying to say is you're apart of that team, as far as I can tell and _you_ were the one who always said 'We're a team, end of story'."

Alexandra looked at her feet; it was true, she always said that when her team was afraid someone would chicken out and run. What had she done? She made a promise to Steve that she would help him find Victor Hesse and she broke it. She was the one who chickened out and ran. That's all she was ever good at, running away when something hurt.

Finally Alexandra stood up and looked Derek straight in the eye and said, "Take me to Kapahoni Warehouse on Pekeleilei road. There's going to be a white truck not too far from the warehouse, that's where McGarrett is with the team."

She ran to her room so that she could change from her white, floral dress into clothing that would allow her to move a little more freely. Her choice of clothing was a pair of light blue jeans and a light purple halter top, she kept her sneakers on in case one of the suspects decided to flee.

"Whoa!" Derek exclaimed when she came out of her room. "Now, personally, I prefer a woman in heels, but _that _is how spies dress Blondie!"

Alexandra rolled her eyes as she tossed him her keys to the Mustang. She saw him give her an encouraging smile and it gave her hope. Hope that Francois and Vlotkvosky would be found and locked up in the CIA's prison, hope that she would stop running from whatever scared her and hope that Steve wouldn't be furious with her.

"Oh hey, you're missing something," Derek spun around before opening the front door and running towards Alexandra's kitchen.

He came back, seconds later, with Alexandra's handgun, a Makarov, and her holster which she strapped around her thigh.

"You brought these from D.C?" she asked in blissful disbelief.

"I knew you'd be happy," Derek smiled opening the door.

Before stepping out of the house, Alexandra took a deep breath. She came into the house filled with fury and anger and now she was stepping out, ready to accept change as well as help and try to make amends with Steve. With those final thoughts she walked out and slammed the door.

**Pekeleilei Road, White Truck **

At ten in the morning, Steve found himself next to Chin in a white truck, setting up the computers that the team would be using to back up Kono in case anything went wrong while she was undercover. It was only a few hours after his arguments with Alexandra, but he still regretted questioning her the way he did. He knew he touched a sensitive matter when he accused her of lying and not trusting him. They were supposed to be working together today, then after they found Victor Hesse, they should have been going out on a date.

"Let me ask you something. How is it that you get into an argument with our nurse _before_ the workday?" Danny asked coming inside the truck.

"I didn't get into an argument before the workday!" Steve snapped back as Chin began to turn on one of the computers.

"Then why isn't the keiki here?" Chin inquired as Danny's lip curled into a smug smile.

"Alexandra, isn't here because something came up," Steve lied, fully knowing that his two colleagues were able to see right through him.

"Look, Fred Flintstone," Danny suddenly quipped. "What could have come up for her? I mean she barely talks and she's a nurse. Do you know that I found her reading the other day?"

"Danny-"

"No, Steven. Do you know_ what_ I found her reading_?_" Danny asked disdainfully as Steve noticed a slight smirk on Chin's face.

"No, Danny, I don't know," Steve sighed. "A book? You're probably not familiar with them, but the letters on the pages make up words which make up sentences which sometimes make up a story-"

"Hey, you were the one born in a cave with baby pterodactyl bones all tied up together to make a weather vane," Danny shot back as Chin began to laugh. "For your information, she was reading _Rip Van Winkle_."

"What's wrong with Rip?" Steve questioned.

"_What's wrong with Rip?_ _What's wrong with him?"_ Danny asked, and if Steve hadn't gotten used to his partner's personality, he would have thought he struck a nerve.

"I-"

"_Rip… Van Winkle, _is a fairytale. It is a fairytale told to children who have not _yet _reached the age of reason. It was written for children because children don't understand how _senseless _the story is!" Danny shouted angrily, trying to bring his point across.

"Actually," a familiar and gentle, but attention demanding voice interrupted the three men. "It's a story written by Washington Irving to prove that time is valuable and one shouldn't waste their time being lazy."

Steve looked up to see Alexandra had come back, but now she appeared more, more _confident. _She wore a purple shirt, one of those that tied around the neck, but didn't cover the wearer's back, and her jeans really emphasized her … he stopped himself from looking her over when he noticed a gun strapped to her thigh.

"You're back," Steve said with surprise in his voice as Danny and Chin exchanged confused glances.

"You hired me to do a job, right?" she asked with a smile on her face.

"I guess I did," Steve replied lightheartedly. "Get in the truck, then."

Once she sat down on the floor of the truck, Steve saw Danny look her over, "Hi, I don't who you are, but I'm Danny Williams."

Alexandra did one of her signature eye rolls, "I'll explain later… Where's Kono?"

"Kono's prepping herself at headquarters," Chin informed standing up. "Which reminds me guys, I have to go check up on her. She's really nervous about this."

"Tell her good luck for me," Alexandra remarked as Chin gave her a thumbs up to let her know he'd pass on the message.

The native Hawaiian tiptoed around Danny, Alexandra and Steve, hopped off the truck and headed towards his motorcycle that was parked near the truck. The roar of the motorcycle let the trio know that Chin was on his way and they continued to work on the computers.

"Aren't there people that do this?" Alexandra asked after a short silence.

"Yeah, but the HPD didn't want to share those guys with us," Steve informed as Alexandra played with one of the computers.

Her hair fell over shoulders as she worked on setting the system up and her face looked determined to finish the job she was tasked with.

"So why did you decide to come back?" Steve finally inquired.

He saw her look at him and sigh, "Because we're a team now, end of story."


	8. Chapter 7: Steve's a Rock

**I just realized I haven't posted notes with my other chapters, so I am going to with this one. I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far, that you think it's better than the first one. Thanks to Riter's Fury for encouragement and my older siblings, Samantha and Peter! Happy reading, I really hope you guys like the story! : ) **

**Chapter 7: Steve's a Rock**

**Pekeleilei Road, White Truck**

Steve was intently listening in on the conversation Kono was having with Sang Min. Thus far, he hadn't learned anything useful, nothing was mentioned about Victor Hesse nor were any words said that could have stood for code. He glanced at his team, Chin was sitting in a chair working with buttons that controlled sound waves' frequencies, Danny looked as if he would prefer to be in bed, napping, and Alexandra appeared to be very exhausted. Steve hadn't noticed earlier, but she had dark circles beneath her eyes and every few minutes she would stretch and yawn. He wondered if she was tired because something was keeping her up at night, like waiting for whoever was trying to kill her, or if she spent long nights talking to that Derek Falconer guy. He grimaced at the thought of Alexandra giggling lightly and blushing whenever Falconer would say something.

_Are you jealous?_ A small voice in his head piped up.

On the computers, Steve observed that Kono was being forced to take off her dress. Sang Min was probably making sure she wasn't wearing a wire.

"I think it's time we helped," Chin suggested with a hint of worry in his voice. Steve understood, Chin and Kono were family and no matter how much experience a cop had, anxiety would always prevail at one point or another.

Steve nodded, taking his gun out of its holster and making sure it was loaded, just as a precaution. He glanced at the screen and Kono was putting her dress back on, but now Sang Min was touching her… hair?

"What's he doing?" Danny asked nobody in particular.

Steve saw Alexandra take a closer look at the thermal images and say, "Kono's a surfer, right?"

"Yeah, you met her at the beach," Chin replied loading his shotgun. "You don't think?"

"Sand," Steve said catching on to what Alexandra had been thinking.

Kono had been compromised because Sang Min felt sand in her hair. He was questioning why Kono, a supposed poverty stricken maid, had time to go to the beach.

"What?" Danny queried, still unaware of what everyone concluded.

"She's been made," Steve explained shortly, thrusting the doors of the truck's trailer open and running quickly to the driver's seat. There was no safe way in to the warehouse, so Steve was going to rely on the last resort… driving the truck through the walls of the warehouse.

He put the key in the ignition, turned it and the engine roared to life. Before he was able to step on the gas pedal, the passenger door flew open and Danny heaved himself onto the seat.

"What the _hell_ are you doing?" the blonde detective shouted at Steve.

"Just take your gun off safety!"

"What the hell are you doing? Steve?" Danny kept shouting as the truck began moving, picking up speed with every inch.

When Danny finally caught on to what Steve was planning, a string of curses and remarks about the Navy SEALS's idiocracy followed. However, it was interrupted by the earsplitting sound of the massive semi colliding with the warehouse.

Steve slammed his foot on the breaks and when the vehicle screeched to a stop he jumped out of the driver's seat.

"I had it all under control!" Kono greeted with a smile on her face as Chin and Alexandra tried to catch up to Steve, but both were stumbling.

Steve began his manhunt; he was going to find where Sang Min trotted off too and he wouldn't flinch if he had to beat the answers out of the Snakehead facilitator. He saw two men jumping through an enormous hole made in the wall during the collision and quickly was after them.

"McGarrett!" he heard Alexandra's voice and then the deafening ring of three gunshots following her scream.

A Tongan man, which Steve failed to notice, fell from somewhere above, probably a catwalk, but he had no time to thank Alexandra. He _needed_ to catch Sang Min, he _needed_ to know where the man who killed his father was. This _was _personal and Steve wouldn't stop until he found Victor Hesse and finished what Hesse started.

**Five-0 Headquarters**

Alexandra's head was pounding from the day she experienced. As a spy, she's encountered psychotic agents, operatives driven by avarice and people who wanted to have world domination in their hands (rather outlandish, but true), but never, _never,_ had Alexandra met someone who drove a truck through a wall of a warehouse like Steve did. She also never saw anyone drive a squad car onto the deck of a freighter ship, like Steve did, but she guessed there was a first time for everything. She reviewed the day in her mind and couldn't deny that she was satisfied with the way the day was ending.

Steve caught Hesse, or killed him, more exactly. Alexandra knew he had his peace now, he would be able to sleep a little better tonight because he found justice for his dad. Something Jack McGarrett deserved, undoubtedly.

Alexandra let her body sink into the soft chair she had in the quarters Steve assigned to her and she quickly immersed herself in one of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's books which she kept in her purse. Her entire body felt as if someone had pounded it with a mallet for hours on end. A light knock on the glass door made Alexandra glance up, it was Chin.

"Hey Chin," she greeted cheerfully closing her book and placing it on her small, wooden desk.

"Hey," he replied in the same manner. "We're all grabbing a beer somewhere, you in?"

Alexandra would have killed to go out for drinks (despite not liking alcohol, she enjoyed the social aspect of the event), but with Vlotkovsky after her and a psychopath paying for anything Vlotkovsky would need, she thought it would be best to stay in.

"It sounds fun, but I think I might have to take a rain check," Alexandra smiled.

Chin laughed, "Come on, you don't have some clandestine meeting or something do you?"

Alexandra feigned a laugh, "No, no. Of course not, I'm a …_nurse_."

_If only you knew_, she thought regretfully.

"Then come on!" Chin egged on and then leaned in closer. "You know, Steve was really hoping you'd come."

Alexandra blushed at the sound of Steve's name. How she wished she could just pretend Francois didn't want her dead and celebrate the team's first case with Steve.

"If you don't go, Keiki, I might get Danny and we'll drag you to the bar," Chin threatened jokingly.

Alexandra laughed and was able to see Steve sitting from his office through the glass of her quarters. The sight of him took her breath away, she didn't know why, but no man ever drew her in like Steve did. It wasn't just the way he carried himself, tough and to the point, understanding and funny; it was that his looks were unlike any other man's. He had short dark hair, slightly curling at the ends with his square jaw and grey-blue eyes; his torso was toned to the max and the tattoos on each arm emphasized the muscles on his arms. Alexandra's heart began to beat a little faster as she thought of him.

"I'll go, just give me a sec," Alexandra finally agreed, standing up and walking out of the small office with Chin.

She knocked on Steve's door, saw him look up and nod his head, allowing her to come in.

As Alexandra closed the door behind herself she looked at Steve, "I thought we should talk."

"That may have to happen," he replied. "Want to sit down?"

Alexandra sat down in one of the chairs, feeling a déjà vu like feeling as she did so. The last time she sat down in these chairs, she nearly popped a blood vessel. Where did she even begin to tell him everything? How did she tell him that she needed his help and how she felt?

"I want to say sorry," she began, unable to look him in the eyes because of embarrassment.

Steve sighed, "Me too."

She whipped her head up and stared skeptically at him. He was sorry? _He _was actually saying _sorry?_ From the time she met Steve, it was pretty obvious that saying sorry was something he struggled with. This was coming as quite the shock to her.

"I never gave you the chance to tell me yourself and I was just angry," he admitted. "I don't know, I just wanted to know you trusted me."

"I do," Alexandra assured. "Steve, I had no idea someone was after me until, officially, today. If I didn't say anything it's because- it's because I …don't know how to tell you that I'm… afraid. I- I was the girl who wasn't supposed to cry over her problems and just keep them to myself-"

"But, Alexandra," Steve stopped her. "Someone is trying to _kill _you! I don't care what people made you think back then, but you're apart of this team and that means_ I _look out for you!"

She looked in Steve's eyes and didn't know if she could stop herself from letting out the tears that, all those years, have been saved for another day. The sweeping feelings of sadness and relief were overwhelming her and she didn't know how to control it. She didn't want to cry, not now, not in Steve's office.

"I-I," she stammered. "That's why I came back."

There. She said it, she finally told someone she needed their help instead of cursing her life for her misfortunes.

"What?" Steve asked, clearly trying to make sure he heard her correctly.

"I came back to the warehouse because I don't have anyone else to turn to. Derek, the guy who you met this morning, came here to tell me, in person, what he knew and told me that I was being stupid, for storming out of your office," Alexandra explained as a smile grew on Steve's face. "I need you, Steve, I can't fight this on my own."

When he wasn't saying anything Alexandra continued on.

"Steven, I'd really like to hear some feedback on this," she bit her lip.

"I'm touched," he finally responded. "You chose me over your boyfriend, Derek."

Alexandra felt her face turn into an expression of horror. She and Derek? Never! He was the agent who trained her, a team member, practically family!

"Derek?" she questioned sardonically. "If Derek was my boyfriend, then the pope broke his vow of temperance!"

"He's been working with you for years and hasn't tried anything?" Steve questioned inquiringly .

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It's supposed to mean that working around someone like you, can be very, _difficult_."

"Difficult?"

"It can be hard to focus around you, sometimes," Steve explained, hinting that he thought she was… pretty?

Alexandra felt as if her cheeks were ablaze, but it didn't stop her from replying, "Like I said, if Derek and I were dating, then the pope broke his vow of temperance."

Steve grinned at her, stood up to walk around his desk and offered her his hand, "Speaking of breaking vows of temperance, I think the team wants to go out for drinks."

She took his hand, but let go as soon as she was on her feet. One small, anomaly still bothered her… the assassin. She would endanger anyone who went out with her, not to mention herself.

"What if Vlotkovsky tries to take care of me at the bar?"

"He hasn't tried anything today," Steve pointed out. "He isn't going to touch you when you're around us. If he did, it would attract attention, too many people, witnesses, and then he'd have me to deal with."

Alexandra wished she hadn't let her hand slip out of his earlier, she wished she could just embrace him and let him make her feel like this, safe and … _pretty_… all the time.

**Disgusting Basement**

"What are you doing?" the Irish man, Declan's, voice questioned as he entered the disgusting basement and walked towards the dark haired woman who was his wife and his grade 'a' psycho stepfather in law.

Odette, as the woman was named, stood up and smiled, revealing what gruesome thing she had done. On the floor lay the dead ex Russian operative, David. There was a single bullet wound on his forehead and deep red drops of blood raced down his face.

"Why, Odette?" he asked, wishing his wife knew what she was doing.

She was consumed by the garbage that her stepfather, Jacques, had fed her during their long conversations together. Declan only stayed because he hoped to get Odette away from Jacques, but now, for Declan, it was too late to get away because he knew their plans and he could possibly be the last hope Alexandra had. David knew their plans also, that's why he was trying to give back their money and disappear. David knew that Odette was going to kill her best friend for a lost cause, for a bitter, old man's lost cause.

"He was trying to back out," Jacques sneered, then letting out a little laugh.

"He would've disappeared!" Declan screamed, unable to control the rage he felt at how distorted the man's moral compass was.

Jacques turned towards Declan and stared him down. The CIA analyst felt all emotion, aside from fear, seep out of him. The Frenchman had a way of making people feel empty inside, as if he were the predator and you were the prey. Declan tried to control his breathing, Odette has kept Jacques from killing him so far, but it had become apparent that Odette wanted different things, different, vile things…

**Lulu's Bar**

Alexandra sat in a booth surrounded by the task force members as they all ate a slice from the large pizza which they ordered and drank beverages of their choice. Danny was telling them a funny story about something his daughter, Grace, had done to his younger brother a few years ago. It involved putting a cell phone into kitty litter, dirty kitty litter.

"Alright!" Kono said excitedly. "Truth time!"

Chin groaned at his cousin's suggestion and everyone looked at him for an explanation.

"What's truth time?" Danny asked taking a sip of his beer.

"Kono likes to do this thing with new acquaintances where we all ask each other questions and everyone has to answer them, honestly," Chin explained.

"Yeah, and if I think you're lying, I'll make sure to find out the truth!" the native Hawaiian woman added.

"Okay," Steve nodded. "Bring it."

"Okay, something easy at first," Kono remarked. "What's everyone's favorite color? Mines orange."

"Red," Chin quickly interjected as he took a bite of his pizza.

"I know that, I'm asking them, coz'," Kono jested, pretend punching Chin.

Alexandra laughed at the exchange and looked at Danny who said, "Yellow."

Steve began chuckling to himself when Danny answered and the detective looked at him with an annoyed expression.

"What is so hilarious about that?"

"Yellows your favorite color?"

"Yes, yellow is my favorite color!" Danny answered with impatience. "Why is the color of my choice so funny to you?"

"Because yellows like a calm color, you're just so uptight," Steve replied causing everyone to start laughing.

"Oh yeah? Well what's your favorite color, _Steven_?"

"Blue," the SEAL replied turning his head towards Alexandra. "Yours?"

Alexandra smiled, "Green."

The team continued with fun questions like these and everyone took turns answering, as honestly as they could. Around ten minutes later, though, the questions became a little more serious and everyone kept opening up. Alexandra didn't know how to answer some of them like, "As a kid, what's the one thing you remember the most about your parents,".

_Well, my mom died and then my dad went to prison and was stabbed, _she wanted to say, but something restrained her. She wasn't ready to share that, not yet.

Finally Chin asked a question regarding what everyone wanted to be when they were in high school and Alexandra couldn't hold it in anymore. She was glad that Steve knew, but everyone was supposed to be bonding and they didn't know what she _really _did.

"Wait!" she interrupted. "I have a question, if you don't mind?"

She sent an apologetic look towards Chin who smiled.

"Go for it, Keiki," he assured.

"Has anyone ever been put in a place where they weren't supposed to tell the truth?" she asked.

"I think she wants to tell us something," Steve hinted that he knew where she was headed.

"Do you?" Kono asked letting out a chuckle.

"Yes. I'm not exactly a nurse," she revealed, speaking as slowly as she could.

Danny scoffed, "I'm really a bookworm!"

"Funny, but not quite," Alexandra replied, slightly smiling at his remark. "I've been working for the CIA for six years and being apart of this, with you guys, I can't lie anymore."

Danny, Chin and Kono all stared at her as if she was someone else and she wanted to sink into her seat and disappear.

"You knew this?" Danny asked Steve, more calmly than Alexandra expected,

"Yeah," Steve answered.

"Do you know if all the hype about Area 51 is true?" Kono asked making the blonde agent arch a brow.

"No," Alexandra answered slowly. "But I don't really have access to _those_ types of secrets."

"Were you the one who sparked the Libyan revolution?" Chin questioned.

Alexandra gave him a mysterious smirk, "I can't tell you that."

With that she felt that her conscience had been cleared. She was able to breathe… a little easier, at least. She saw Steve looking at her with the cutest grin on his face that made her heart beat a little faster. She wished that she could ask him to put his arm around her and just rest her head on his chest, forget about everything bad in the world and think of only the two of them. He would be her rock, the person who kept her on her feet and assured her everything would be fine, the man who loved her unconditionally. She could only wish though, for men like Steve didn't like girls like her...

**I wasn't going to do the last part, but I just couldn't help myself! Blame the psychological id for that! **


	9. Chapter 8: Nothing Turns to Everything

**Chapter 8: Nothing turns to Everything**

**Steve's Truck **

Alexandra watched Steve as he focused on the road ahead; the sun had already set, letting the dark starry night take over the scene of Oahu.

"I'm sorry you have to drive me home," Alexandra apologized, feeling embarrassed that she had not considered how she would get home when Derek took her car.

Steve looked at her and smiled, "You make it seem like it's a chore."

Alexandra shrugged her shoulders, feeling butterflies pound the linings of her stomach with their wings.

"I just feel bad for making you do this," she smiled timidly.

Alexandra didn't understand why Steve made her feel the way he did. He had this aura around him that automatically grasped people's attention; it made one want to talk to him for hours on end with hope that he had the same wants. Alexandra thought of all the girls who have met Steve before, how viciously they battled for his interest and then she thought of the girls who would have wished to be in her place if they knew she was in his truck. What had she done to deserve sitting next to him? What force of nature timed her life out to this exact moment?

"You would have done it for me," Steve glanced at her. "Besides, I couldn't just leave you there."

Alexandra let out a short laugh, "I know the last image you have of me is this giant dork, but I _did_ learn how to get away from danger. I can take care of myself."

"You know you aren't alone in this world, right?" Steve asked.

Alexandra should have seen that response coming. Steve always made sure that his friends felt like they belonged and were wanted. She remembered Max feeling frustrated when they first moved to Hawaii because he was a "haole", then he met Steve and they were instantly best friends. Her brother would come home and tell her that Steve was the most understanding friend he ever had. The two boys were brothers by bond and then Catherine appeared. Alexandra pushed that out of her mind, she didn't want to think about Catherine; it was because of Catherine she ran away and it was because of Catherine she joined the CIA.

Steve then turned on the radio after Alexandra didn't reply. It was playing a slow, sweet song about a lonely soul trying to fit in. Alexandra's heart swelled when she realized it was the song which Max sung to her and Josef when either of them felt miserable.

"Mary and my mom used to sing this all the time," Steve revealed staring at the road, trying to avoid eye contact.

Alexandra looked at him, she knew what it must have been like for him, what it felt like to have the person who brought her into the world, ripped away from her.

Steve finally turned his head towards her, "I don't know why she didn`t come."

However, Alexandra didn't know what it was like to sit, think and try to make an excuse for the person who should have been closest to her. Mary hadn't come to her father's funeral and Alexandra knew that it tore Steve up, even if he didn't let it show, it was an unspoken truth. He didn't need to say anything, he didn't need to prove it, Alexandra knew he needed someone to share this all with after years of bottling everything inside.

_Being trained for the Navy since sixteen doesn't let you talk much, does it, Steve? _Alexandra thought wistfully.

"I'm sorry Mary didn't come," she whispered.

Why was she always so terrible at times like these? Every time someone was suffering and poured their heart out to her, Alexandra couldn't think of a single comforting word to say. She wanted to kick herself for not being more compassionate, for not knowing how to be there for Steve.

"I just don't get it. We haven't seen each other in a decade and she doesn't come," he confided.

"Have you called her?" she asked.

The Navy SEAL scoffed, "I've tried getting her number, but my uncle doesn't know how to reach her."

"Steve, I don't know your sister that well, but she isn't heartless," Alexandra offered to which Steve half smiled.

"When my mom died," Steve began. "I didn't know what to do for Mary. I was so upset and so angry at the world for taking mom away from us. Then Mary comes up to me and do you know what she says to me?"

Alexandra shook her head, not taking time to answer because she wanted to listen to him.

"She looked at me and said, 'Mommy's in Heaven, Steve. Don't cry.'" Steve revealed. "She was barely big enough to know what hit us. I was the older one, I was supposed to be looking out for her and instead she had to hold my hand through the funeral, she had to make sure I didn't fall apart."

"She's your sister-"

"What did I do to make it easier for her, Alexandra?" Steve asked. "That's why she didn't come. She was tired of being the one who had to make sure everyone didn't fall apart and not having her big brother."

Alexandra felt sadness overwhelm her as Steve spoke. Nobody ever deserved to feel that way. His family sacrificed for the good of society and just as everything was starting to make sense for them, they were torn apart because of someone who decided to drive while intoxicated. Alexandra, then, couldn't help but make parallels of Steve's life to hers. Except in her scenario she was the little sister and that's how she knew that Mary wasn't angry.

"No, you're wrong," Alexandra said. "Steve, in my family, I'm the little sister. When…"

Alexandra couldn't believe that she was finally talking about it. She was going to tell someone how she felt after the death of her mother, after everything changed in her life.

"Before my mom was killed, I never saw my brothers cry. I was so afraid… and seeing that my brothers felt the same way I did… it let me know I wasn't alone. I held their hands at her funeral, I held their hands at trial and I held their hands when we flew to Hawaii. It wasn't to make them feel better, it was to make _me _feel better," Alexandra told him feeling her heart beating from anxiety at the memories. "Mary held your hand because you made her feel safe. You helped her just as much as she helped you."

"Then why didn't she come?" Steve questioned as he turned on Alexandra's block.

"I can't answer that. I don't know what Mary is going through, but, please, just believe me when I say it isn't your fault," Alexandra replied as he pulled up in front of her house.

Alexandra didn't want to leave, she wanted to sit next to Steve the entire night. He made her feel as if she could conquer anything that fate thrust upon her. He put the car in park and hopped out of the driver's seat to walk her to the door. Everything inside Alexandra screamed to not let him go home, to say something to make him stay.

The pair walked up to her door in silence; Alexandra didn't know what to say and she was exhausted, but she still didn't want him to leave.

"Will you be okay?" Steve finally asked, looking at her with his gentle, blue eyes that made her heart beat faster.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," she answered. "I'm more worried about you."

Steve let out a small sigh, "That's why I don't like telling people what I feel."

Alexandra gazed at him for a second then replied, "You know you're not alone, right?"

She saw Steve smile at that, which made her feel proud of herself. She accomplished saying something empathetic, even if it meant she had to steal his previous phrase.

"Thanks," he murmured.

"For what? You were the one who said it," she smiled.

The space between them seemed to be smaller, but Alexandra couldn't tell whether or not it was her mind playing tricks on her or not. However, she was able to tell that her heart rate was out of control and she was positive that Steve was able to hear the organ pounding against her chest. She suddenly felt his arms on hers and felt a spark of electricity run throughout her body.

This wasn't real; she _had_ to be imagining this. It was until their faces were centimeters away that she allowed herself to believe it _was _real and that Steve _was_ about to kiss her. Finally their lips touched and Alexandra felt as if every care had evaporated. Nothing mattered anymore, not her future with the CIA or her insecurities and certainly not a deranged Frenchman. His lips were so soft and she could feel the heat from his body radiating against her. Unconsciously, her hands made their way to his chest and she could feel herself pulling him closer. They began edging towards her door… Was she really going to do this?

She never really confessed this to anyone, but she never slept with someone before. There were two reasons to account for this. The first was that she only dated one guy in high school, whom she broke up with before moving back to Hawaii (for the second time) and realizing that she would never get over her feelings for Steve. The second reason was, after what happened with her mom, she began to attend Catholic mass on Sundays which usually ended up with her having long conversations with the nuns… they influenced her life quite a bit.

Suddenly Alexandra felt her back hit the front door. Her hand fumbled for the door knob as Steve now held her around the waist.

_Oh God, oh God! Is this happening? This isn't real! He doesn't care about me! He _has _to care about me if his tongues down my throat! _Alexandra's mind screamed.

"Whoa! " A recognizable voice shouted when the door finally flew open.

Alexandra quickly pulled away from Steve and spun around to see who was in her house. She was greeted by the sight of a tall, skinny woman with ink dark hair, olive skin and green eyes; the woman was her best friend, Odette.

"Uh… Hi," Alexandra laughed nervously as she felt her face turning red.

"Oi, there's yogurt in her fridge- ahhh!" a thin man with brown hair and an Irish accent expressed his shock when he saw Alexandra standing in the door way…. Declan McCullough.

Alexandra turned around to Steve to explain who they were. The SEAL wasn't even in the slightest bit red, in fact he didn't look embarrassed at all.

"They're friends from the-"

"CIA?" Steve proposed with an exasperated expression.

"Yes," Alexandra smiled as she realized her hand was entangled in his. "Ignore the man-girl, he's afraid of everything."

"We could leave," Odette suggested, rather stiffly.

"That'd be great," Steve said making Alexandra hush him.

She bit her lips, observing her friends' exhausted faces and then replied, "No, you're already here and I can see you're tired."

" Awesome," the weapons specialist grinned, coming towards the pair as Declan ate his yogurt in the corner, silently. "I'm Odette McCullough."

"This is Steve," Alexandra introduced, still feeling shocked and confused.

"Hi," Steve replied distractedly and Alexandra could tell he noticed her wall.

"Revanche salue le menteur," Odette read aloud. "Revenge-"

"Greets the liar," Alexandra translated simultaneously with Odette.

"Modern art?" Steve inquired as she observed it.

"A message from a fan," she explained as Declan let out a small laugh.

"Sounds more like a psychotic, _offbeat_ loon," Declan said as Alexandra met his eyes.

He looked stressed out and scared. Alexandra noticed he kept sending short glances at Odette.

_He probably forgot to take out the trash two days ago,_ Alexandra assured herself, pushing down the feeling that something was wrong.

"Some fan," Steve scoffed bringing Alexandra out of her thoughts.

"Look," Odette began leading the pair away from the door, then closing it. "Olsen sent us out here when you were a no-show for –"

Alexandra noticed Odette's eyes dart towards Steve. She realized Odette thought saying something that pertained to covert operations around Steve wasn't safe.

"He's Naval Intel," she explained which seemed to satisfy the tall brunette.

"When you were a no-show for the exchange with the counterfeiter in Libya," Odette finished.

"You counterfeited money in Libya?" Steve asked as Declan finally approached them.

"Money? No, passports, clearance cards for safe houses," the Irishman informed as the SEAL nodded his head.

"Not the point," Odette adverted. "We need to talk about what's happening, so, uh, Naval Intel guy might have to beat it."

Alexandra sighed, regretting that she let Derek take her cigarettes away from her. A surprise from her entire team was exactly what she didn't want, especially since something was going on between her and Steve. She didn't want to have to make any decisions involving the CIA any time soon.

"Look, I'm happy you came and all, but we spies communicate in code," the pale, blonde said as she walked towards her couch.

"What do you want me to do? Leave a message on your wall like the last guy?" Odette fired back.

"She has a point," Steve directed towards Alexandra. "But I'm not leaving until I know she's safe."

"And about the wall, Odette, the guy got the point across, so… creepy, yes, but effective also," Alexandra replied sarcastically.

"Listen, you Nimrod," Declan piped up. "Clearly you told this guy about that and your boyfriend isn't leaving until you're safe, so why don't we tag team this?"

Alexandra glanced at Steve, trying her hardest to keep from blushing; it was his call. The task force was his team and she couldn't make any decisions for it, even if their next case concerned her. She knew there was a line between how they had to act while they were at work and how they could act outside of their day job.

"We could use outside help to catch the people. There's probably a cleaner along with the guy you ID'ed, they can keep an eye out for him," Steve agreed.

Alexandra glanced at her CIA team members and then at Steve. Mixing cocky CIA agents, a trigger happy SEAL and police on Oahu? She never had to work with an arrangement like this before, but Alexandra was trained to adapt in a matter of minutes and now the job called for it more than ever. One thing she was sure of, though, was that the Governor wouldn't be happy when she found out that clandestine missions were going on right underneath her nose.

"Let's start securing the house," she agreed standing up from the couch and heading towards the garage for supplies.

**Alexandra Sarna's Garage**

The intoxicating smell of gunpowder filled Steve's nostrils as he helped the weapons specialist named Odette rig shotguns to use as booby traps. He wished, though, that she hadn't been sitting in the Sarna house when he and Alexandra arrived because of the more _personal _event that had been happening on the porch.

"_You aren't alone in the world." _Alexandra's words replayed in his mind, distracting him from his current task.

"So how do you know Ali?" Odette questioned as she walked around the garage looking for some wire.

Steve arched a brow, "Ali?"

"Alexandra?" she explicated, making him want to kick himself for his idiocracy.

"Right, sorry, I didn't know she had a nickname," he explained, realizing he preferred the nickname than _Alexandra_. "Uh, we knew each other a long time."

"Clearly," Odette remarked handing Steve some wire she found as he shrugged.

So she caught him and _Ali _kissing and walking into the house while _kissing._ It wasn't something to make a scene over.

"What's the plan, then," Odette asked, changing the subject.

Steve thought how he would have gone about this in Afghanistan. With his SEAL team he would have had to made sure the assassin and the cleaner were dead and leave for the next assignment. There wasn't any time to see if the person who evaded death was okay. It was his job to make sure that person didn't die, it was his job to make sure he took a bullet before the victim did. It wasn't like that this time, though. This was _Ali_ and he had feelings for her. He wouldn't just think it's his job to take a bullet for her, he would do it without complaining. The entire ordeal was different when the person on the hit list was someone who he cared for.

"Set up a trip wire in the back and this," he held the shotgun. "In the front. She isn't going to stay here, it's too dangerous."

"She has nowhere to go," Odette pointed out.

"I'll take her to her brother's and stay on guard duty," Steve notified his new ally.

"Alright, and you want us to stay on guard here?" she questioned.

"Yeah. If anyone comes who looks like an assassin, you kill them," he ordered leaving the garage to find Ali and tell her the plan.

He didn't know how he would have enough energy to stay on guard duty at her brother's house, but compared to previous missions he's completed, pulling an all-nighter seemed like nothing.

_Except it means everything to you, doesn't it? _A voice in his head asked.

**Sorry it took so long to post this new chapter up! I had writer's block and I really needed to think of a way to write it so you guys would like it. I hope you do! :)**


	10. Chap9:Does Murder Satisfy Your Appetite?

**Chapter 9: Does Murder Satisfy Your Appetite?**

**Josef Sarna's House**

"Wake up!" a tiny voice squeaked in Steve's ear which made his eyes fly open.

He saw a white ceiling above him and he felt out of place. His back ached a little, he could feel that he hadn't brushed his teeth in a while and he felt as if he only slept for five minutes.

"You're awake! You're awake!" the same voice cheered, but now Steve was able to tell that it belonged to a young boy.

He rolled over to his side and saw a skinny, minuscule boy with dark hair and hazel eyes jumping around with a smile on his face. He was wearing a shirt with light green and blue stripes, children's jeans and held a small Optimus Prime toy in his hand.

Steve was slowly beginning to remember how he ended up in this house, which, evidently, belonged to Josef Sarna. He brought Ali here who explained everything to her brother. He remembered watching TV with her, feeling a little discomfited because of their close encounter yesterday, but anything past that he couldn't bring to memory.

He should have stayed up to keep watch; if anyone tried breaking in to kill Ali, he should have been there to greet the assassins. Though now it looked like the only person who was keeping watch was Little Max Sarna.

_Way to go, McGarrett, _he thought. _Victor Hesse's ghost could have flown in here and you wouldn't have noticed it._

He looked at the boy, "Good morning, Max."

"Can we play?" the five year old asked as the SEAL wondered where his parents were.

Steve laughed; the boy had so much happiness, so much joy that it made Steve forget about being angry with himself.

"What did you have in mind?" Steve questioned, hoping that other adults responded with that when assigned these types of questions by children.

"I-I," the boy stuttered. "I don't know!"

Suddenly a sad expression developed on Max's face and it looked as if he would cry.

_Shit, please don't cry! _Steve internally pleaded. The last thing he needed was a crying five year old on his hands. How would he comfort a crying little person?

"Um, that's okay, buddy," he assured standing up.

"No because I woke you up to play and now you're going to be angry!" Max explained looking at the floor.

"Hey, hey, Max," Steve reassured coming down to the boy's level. "I'm not going to be angry. Let's eat some breakfast and maybe we can think of something we can play."

Little Max's face lit up and he took off to the kitchen as Steve stood up, ignoring the pain in his lower back.

He noticed his phone on the small table near the right side of the couch, picked it up and turned it on. He had one message from Josef which he opened. It read:

_Hey, sorry to do this to you, but Leah was on schedule at the clinic this morning and my boss just called me in. Al passed out with Max on his little bunk bed… just tell Max to wake her up. _

Steve smiled at the text, it made him feel like Ali's family trusted him. Before putting his phone away, he took a peak at the time and widened his eyes when he saw the number "6" and the letters "A.M". How did a boy who reminded Steve of a mouse have the energy to wake up at six in the morning?

"He's going to be a SEAL in the future," Steve whispered to himself as he walked towards the kitchen.

"Okay, mommy makes sandwiches because she says they're good for me, but I don't like sandwiches," Max explained to Steve.

Steve looked around the kitchen, trying to find something quick he could make for the kid. He saw a box of cereal on top of the fridge, grabbed it and glanced at Little Max.

"How about cereal?"

"Do you like cereal?" Little Max inquired, gazing up at Steve from his seat at the table.

"It's too sweet, personally I don't think it should be a breakfast –"

"He means yes, Maxi," Ali's soft voice interrupted him midsentence.

Steve turned around to see Ali walking in, her hair was up in one of those elegant buns with a few strands poking out. She was wearing a red skirt that reached just a little above her knees and a white blouse that she tucked into the skirt.

"What's the occasion?" Steve asked as he poured cereal for Max.

Ali sent Steve a questioning look, "I had to borrow Leah's clothes. Unfortunately her style screams 60's stewardess more than covert operative."

"What's a covert operative?" Little Max interjected as Steve's phone rang in his pocket.

Steve excused himself then walked out of the kitchen.

"McGarrett," Steve answered as he entered the living room, not bothering to look at the caller ID.

"Where _are _you?" Danny's voice filled his ears.

"I'm with Ali at her brother's, why?" he asked defensively.

"What do you mean why? Who's Ali? Didn't the wicked witch of the west call you yet?"

"Danny what are you talking about?"

"The governor, you schmuck! Who are you talking about!"

"Alexandra!"

"So now you've got a nick name for her? What are you two dating?"

Steve ignored the last part, not because he wanted to ignore it, but because he didn't know the answer. Were they dating? Last night made everything feel a little more real, but he knew that wasn't the reality. Ali was too much of a lady to start a relationship just because they _almost_ slept together; she would want substance, emotion and love out of a relationship.

"What did the governor need, Danny?"

"An HPD officer found a body down at Ala Moana Park and the governor wants us to have it," Danny explained with a rising temper. "But I've got Grace this weekend, so now Rachel gets my weekend!"

Steve sighed, he had the same problem this morning. He and Ali couldn't leave Max by himself and neither of them could stay with him.

"What are you sighing for?" Danny queried.

"Nothing, I'll see you in twenty."

With that Steve quickly ran back into the kitchen, caught Ali's eye and said, "New vic at the park."

Ali glanced at her nephew then back up at Steve, "Max, do you like surfing?"

"I love surfing!"

"Ali, what're you pl-"

"Maybe Mamu's free this morning?" Ali suggested with a smile.

**Ala Moana Park**

A breeze swept the stray hairs out of Ali's (as Steve now liked to call her) face as she walked towards the crime scene with Steve. With each step there was a heavier feeling in her stomach, anxiety. It wasn't the fact that she was going to see a victim of murder within the next few seconds, although she knew it wasn't going to be a joyous part of her day. What made her anxious was the amount of people crowding around the yellow tape, trying to see the person who was killed. As a spy, she never had to deal with people hording around her as she worked and she wasn't used to having to focus with conversations happening around her. There was one factor, though, that she always had to deal with and that was faking a cover. Honolulu Police Department had no idea of her true nature, they were still under the impression that she was a nurse and she intended for it to stay that way.

"You okay?" she heard Steve ask.

"Yeah," she assured.

"Remember, you're a nurse-"

"I _know_ Steven," she interrupted. "You aren't the only one who's had to be an actor,_ Commander_."

"Commander? I thought last night we got past the titles," he teased.

"Last night never actually materialized," Ali replied in the same teasing tone.

"Well maybe we can make it materialize in the future," Steve suggested making Ali severly blush.

"Are you suggesting-"

"I'm suggesting dinner, Ali," he teased. "I honestly don't know what you thought I meant."

She saw Steve give her one of his half smiles that made her heart race and thought of the kiss they shared. It all felt surreal to her, like something out of a fairytale… except in a world where she wasn't a princess waiting for a prince to save her. Before she could dwell any longer on her "fairytale", Ali approached the yellow tape and was welcomed by the image of the other team members working around the victim.

The sight of the body was extremely gruesome. It was a woman with light blonde hair that was tangled in knots. The woman's face was smeared in blood, but that wasn't what made Ali sick to the stomach. The victim wore a silky, torn gown, however it was tugged to her abdomen and Ali couldn't even think of words to describe the scene bellow the woman's hips. She was reminded of Jack the Ripper, a sadist who ran uncaught in England during the Nineteenth Century. Ali could tell everyone else felt the same way as she did because they all looked as if their stomachs had weakened.

"Does murder satisfy your appetite?" she weakly said as Danny approached them.

"What's happened?" Steve questioned Danny in a tone that suggested he would enjoy finding the sick bastard who murdered the woman.

"Right now, it looks like rape, but the M.E has to confirm it," Danny explicated.

"What else?" Ali asked as Chin came to help with catching Steve and Ali up.

"Kono found Trojans around her," Chin added.

Ali felt ill when Chin mentioned that fact; Trojans suggested there was more than one assailant and Ali didn't want to think of what that woman went through.

"What's her name?" Steve asked.

"Kono's searching her now for any ID, but these psychos… they stabbed her inguinal area, Steve, they didn't leave ID on her," Danny postulated.

"Guys!" Kono shouted from where she knelt by the victim.

Ali made her way towards Kono and saw the Polynesian officer holding the blonde woman's arm up, revealing a deep scar above the wrist that resembled an asterisk, but with more ornate shapes on the ends of the lines.

"It looks like a symbol," Ali thought aloud.

"There's an anthropologist at HPU who's teaching semiotics," Chin explained as he beckoned an HPD officer with a camera.

"Ah," Danny groaned. "I know we barely know each other, but, babe, you should know by now I don't understand weird words."

"Semiotics is the study of signs and their meanings," Steve informed while Kono snapped pictures of the crime scene.

"Alright, so you think some teacher will know why she was raped and killed?" Danny asked incredulously.

"No, but he'll know what that scar means which will lead us to what she was apart of," Ali notified.

"You think she was apart of something?" Kono asked.

"Well the scar on her arm, rook, tells us that. It's like a gang and tattoos," Danny explained to Kono as Steve stared at him with a somewhat astonished look in his eyes. "_What?"_

"I'm just happy to know that something clicks up there for you," Steve explained tapping his head.

Danny immediately took offense to that and defensively replied, "Believe it or not, I did make it through the academy."

"I believe y-"

"I also managed to become a detective, Steven!"

"I believe you, Danno!" Steve defensively shouted.

"Boys," Chin intervened. "We have a case."

"Yes, Steven, we have a case," Danny venomously hissed. "Let's go have a little study session with the professor."

Danny ducked beneath the yellow tape as technicians wrapped the body in white bags and were heaving it into a small truck that resembled an ambulance in order to transport it to the morgue.

"Ali, go make sure he doesn't go off on the wrong person, Chin take the evidence Kono found to a lab and wait for results and, Kono, you and I are going to meet the medical examiner," Steve instructed.

Ali followed Danny to his Camaro, glad that she didn't have to stand next to the grisly murder scene, but not as happy as she was before. She no longer felt as cheerful as she did when she woke up. The image of the woman struck something deep within her. It would stay with her, haunt her dreams if she didn't find out who did that to her. Ali couldn't let the perpetrator get away with it, not like she did with Max. She had to find who put her through hell and make sure that her executioner wouldn't see the outside of the gray prison wall and bars for the rest of his life.

**Marriott Hotel, Honolulu**

"She wasn't who I wanted," Francois's employer scorned in a harsh tone.

Francois sat at the bar of the Marriott Hotel, staring at the man who stole his role of influence in Estonia. The man was a complete lunatic, in Francois's opinion. When Francois went away to prison, the man next to him took over leading their religious sect, but he believed every aspect of the religion. Francois didn't know how he himself made the man beside him a psycho in every way possible. The spiritual doctrines of the religion were borrowed from other cults, Francois never truly _believed_ what he preached. He believed in the money he made while he preached in that Godforsaken village near the thick forestry of Estonia. The offer the man had given him in the MI6 holding cells was enough for Francois to pretend he believed in the cult's practices.

"She had to have sufficed, the girl you're looking for to bring glory to your uh…"

"Kingdom," the man supplied.

"Kingdom," Francois repeated, somewhat mockingly. "Is heavily guarded."

"Apportez-moi son dans la semaine, la divinite a faim," the man replied standing up to leave.

Francois nodded, swiveled the drink he held in his hand and laughed.

"That guy seemed intense," the bar tender said, trying to make conversation with Francois.

"Psychotic, no?" Francois laughed knowing that the bar tender found Francois's accent unusual.

"I didn't understand what he said," the bar tender pointed out while Francois gulped what was left of his rum and stood from his seat.

"It was French, I taught him to speak it," Francois explained.

"Sounds cool," the bartender complimented with a cheerful smile on his face. "What's it translate to?"

"Bring me the girl, the deity is hungry," Francois spilled leaving the bartender with a perplexed look on his face.

**Hi everyone, I know this chapter is ghastly, it's very vital to the plot though. I promise you guys this is the only chapter where I have to get into detail about how they found the victim.**

**With love to you guys,**

**Sandra Anna!**


	11. Chapter 10: 'Sorta Like Hell Week

**Chapter 10: 'Sorta Like Hell Week**

**Hawaii Pacific University **

Ali sat beside Danny in a small lecture hall at Hawaii Pacific University. The professor of semiotics, Professor DeBroglie, had his assistant ask them to wait in the classroom while he finalized certain affairs before his first class began. She was beginning to think, though, that DeBroglie was trying to sweat the detectives out of the classroom to avoid questioning. Ali wished she were sitting on a beach, where the island breeze would cool her off, instead of staring at a chalkboard with the Greek alphabet written on it and Danny snoozing beside her.

She glanced at the blonde detective; his head had fallen over the edge of the seat and his eyes were closed. Every few seconds he would let out a snort, which effectively made Ali want to giggle. She noticed he had taken of his blue tie and unbuttoned the first couple of buttons of his shirt. His legs were outstretched and arms crossed over his chest, with the tie draping over his right arm.

Ali sighed, wishing he hadn't fallen asleep; she had nobody to talk to now and would have to deal with her own thoughts. Her eyes scanned the room and the board with the Greek alphabet caught her attention once again. She smiled at a memory she had of her and Max working on a project when she was eight that involved the Greek alphabet. She recognized the first row of the weird symbols on the board because of that project.

"Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, Zeta, Eta, Theta," she recited in a whisper.

Before she could continue to the next row, her mind began to spin from the intense heat in the classroom. She leaned back in her chair, but a few minutes later was overwhelmed by the severity of boredom. The entire ordeal reminded her of working surveillance in the field as a covert operative. A spy could sit up to twelve hours in a car, staring through binoculars at a beaurocrat who may or may not have been selling government secrets to people who wanted them. A beaurocrat's life was usually uneventful, filled with meetings and lunches, which meant the person surveilling them had to deal with the same, monotonous routine.

Ali sat up, turned her head towards Danny and bit her lips. She didn't want to make him angry, but what other options did she have? The possibility of losing her mind in the room was very high and she sort of liked having a rational state of mind. Ali raised her hand above Danny's face and pinched his nose. In a matter of seconds he shot up, slapped Ali's hand away and stared her down.

"I was sleeping!" he shouted angrily as his hair flopped down to one side of his head.

"I'm fully aware," Ali replied calmly. "Don't you find it odd that he's not talking to us yet?"

"Well nothing links him to the crime scene yet," Danny reasoned with a tiny bit of venom in his voice.

"Usually, in my experience, it can be assumed they fled," Ali brought up.

Danny scoffed making Ali give him a disbelieving look.

"What?" she asked, feeling as if Danny was edging around something he didn't want to share.

"Nothing," he assured her.

Ali knew that _nothing _meant _something. _She wasn't a mind reader, but she did grow up with two older brothers who always pulled these types of stunts on her.

"You know, Daniel, there are different ways I can find out what negative, spiteful things you're thinking about," Ali said, not having any real plan in mind to pry that information from Danny.

"You're really going to bring out that CIA voodoo?" Danny asked incredulously.

"CIA voodoo?" Ali sneered. "Do you screen anything before you talk?"

"My therapist says it's unhealthy for me to keep things inside," Danny shot back as Ali jeered.

"So why don't you tell me, what you were about to tell me a minute ago?" she inquired, eagerly watching Danny who looked annoyed. "You know, since it's unhealthy to keep these things inside."

"I was _going_ to say chasing down a contact through some European city with some guy that looks like Daniel Craig is a little different than questioning a suspect to a murder. Despite what McGarrett thinks, there are rules which we have to follow and without a warrant we can't storm this guy's office without probable cause," Danny explained in his usual annoyed manner.

"Excuse me," Ali held up her hand. "First of all if you're going to compare any of my team members to a James Bond actor, compare them to Pierce Brosnan! Second of all, _you_ need probable cause, I have a few tricks up my sleeve that will force him to talk to us."

"Why do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"That right there, it reminds me of Steve! Are you two going steady or something?"

Before Ali could think of an answer a lyrical voice interrupted them by saying, "I understand my assistance was needed."

Ali looked at the front of the classroom and saw a portly man with thick, dark eyebrows over soft, brown eyes. He wore pants which were in style probably in the sixties, a dress shirt with short sleeves and square rimmed glasses.

"Yes," Danny said standing up with his tie still in hand. "Detective Danny Williams and uh-"

"Detective Alexandra Sarna," Ali lied, deciding to play the role of cop to keep questions at a minimal level.

Ali knew Danny had to restrain himself from ripping her head off, but she continued with her cover anyways. She was sure the professor wouldn't ask questions if Danny pulled out his badge (which he did a few moments later).

"Professor, we were hoping you could tell us what this symbol meant," Ali explained as Danny showed DeBroglie a photo of the scar.

The photo made Ali think of the victim, how she was found. Ali didn't know how someone could justify doing something so unthinkable like that. She felt her stomach turn and couldn't handle thinking of it any longer.

"I don't recall this one hundred percent," the professor admitted, heading towards a large, old, wooden bookshelf and taking out an enormous book. "However, I remember when I taught in Portugal, a student asked me about this symbol."

The professor flipped through the book, not speaking, prompting Ali and Danny to exchange awkward glances with each other.

"You know, this is a perfect time for you to, uh, tell us what you told the student or anything you remember," Danny egged the professor on.

"Detectives, the symbol is, as you see, not prevalent in our society, but its meaning is a very serious matter," DeBroglie explained.

"Great, let's get down to the point," Ali impatiently ordered.

"It originates from classical Greece; the scholars carved this into their arms because they believed that it was Hades, god of the underworld, who gave them their higher levels of intelligence. There was a very small group of Greek migrants who fled Athens during the Peloponnesian War to Jerusalem. The Sanhedrin, the high Jewish priests, didn't understand the mark and declared it was the mark of gentiles, of the devil," Professor DeBroglie lectured.

Ali sighed, she didn't know how to make any sense of what the professor just told her. How did a blonde girl who wore an expensive satin gown get mixed up in some sort of cultural war?

"That isn't all, detectives," DeBroglie assured glancing up at her through his glasses. "When that student approached me I took the liberty of doing some extra studying. I discovered cults which believe Satan guides them and gives them their influence. They have adopted this symbol and in many of these rather misguided groups, it is an initiation scar."

"So 'kinda like hell week?" Danny questioned.

"I'm sorry?" the professor inquired with a confused expression.

"Hell week, you know the … never mind," Danny gave up.

If Ali hadn't been paying attention earlier she definitely was now. Francois, the man she feared most, used to be the leader of a cult, the _Frakstioon Valitud_, and now a girl could have been the victim of that cult's activity. If what the professor told her was true, it also meant Francois was on the island. It meant that he was overlooking the assassin's search for Ali. The only detail which kept her from collapsing to her knees and crying out to God was the fact that the scar was on the woman's arm. When Ali infiltrated _Frakstioon Valitud_ she studied each detail vigorously, memorized every single aspect of the Valitud's customs. Carving a symbol onto a person's antebrachial region was not apart of their belief system… unless something happened to make that change.

"Professor," Ali began shakily. "The student in Portugal, was he an international student?"

"As a matter of fact, he was. How did you know?"

"Lucky guess," Ali said. "Where was he from?"

"He was from Tallinn, Estonia," DeBroglie answered shattering Ali's hope.

"Thank you," Ali whispered and nodded towards Danny, telling him that they needed to leave the university.

**Danny's Camaro**

"What did you get from that?" Danny questioned as he made a right turn at an intersection.

It was the first thing either of them said since they left Hawaii Pacific University. Ali just needed some time to think of a plan, how to make sure Francois didn't hurt anyone else, including her.

"Well she wasn't Jewish because the scar confirms it. Although I doubt that, that is the reason she had that engraved onto her arm," she revealed.

"You think she was apart of a cult then?" Danny inquired.

"It's kind of out there, but yeah," she sighed, not wanting to talk about it any further.

She couldn't explain why she became quiet when there was danger in her near future. Maybe it was because since she was little she knew to expect it and that no amount of tears, no matter how much she stomped and swore at her misfortune, nothing would change unless she handled it with a clear mind.

Her first plan of action would be to tell the team of that mission, make them understand the information she told them wasn't something that could leave the office. Then she would go after the assassin, hopefully with backup, and after she had him apprehended she would squeeze the answers out of him. Ali would make Vlotkovsky believe that she controlled his life and that unless he helped her, he wasn't going to leave custody. The nice little dark room the task force had for questioning suspects would be perfect for that part of the plan. The final detail of her plan involved finding Francois from the information Vlotkovsky supplied her and handing him off to her superiors, who, despite the fact she hated it, would kill him.

"What made you ask about the kid in Portugal?"

"Few years back, I had to infiltrate this religious sect called Frakstioon Valitud. They were from Estonia."

"So you think they're diffusing around the world? Like Diaspora?"

"No, what I think is happening is a little more complicated than that."

"Feel free to share any time," Danny encouraged after Ali paused for a few seconds.

Ali shook her head, "This car could be bugged and the office feels like a more secure place."

"Spooks," Danny muttered, shaking his head as Ali smiled.

"So, awkward question," Danny began a few minutes later. "What exactly is that with you and Steve?"

Ali gave him a quizzical look, "What do you mean?"

"Well, being a detective, I can pick up on things and I just noticed you two… behave in such a way which would lead one to call it some sort of Espionage-military flirting," Danny postulated making Ali feel very tongue tied.

Ali let out an awkward laugh.

"No, he's just-why are you asking?" she blurted out.

Why was Danny asking her questions she didn't know the answer to yet? It was hard enough for her to not tackle Steve and attack him, like she _almost_ did last night, but now there were questions? Did Steve put Danny up to this? Did he make the New Jersey native ask about their status?

_No… Steve wouldn't do that, _she assured herself, desperately hoping a pack of cigarettes would make its way into her possession.

"Curiosity," Danny assured making Ali breathe a sigh of relief.

After a moment of silence Ali spoke again, "Didn't it seem weird to you that the professor had to look up our symbol which was used in ancient Greece when he was preparing a lesson on the Greeks?"

"The alphabet on the board?"

"Yeah, I mean I guess that would have been an introduction or whatever, but it almost seemed rehearsed."

"He doesn't have motive or means, which we know of yet."

"I guess not, I'd feel more at ease though, if I had eyes on him."

"Eyes? HPD isn't going to help us, in fact I think they'd rather obstruct this case because our charming boss thinks he can run around like he's in GTA," Danny pointed out as Ali scoffed.

"Oh Daniel, there are different ways of watching someone."

"Oh Alexandra, please explain."

"Listening device in his computer, tracker in his car and if all else fails, surveillance," Ali explained as her phone rang. "Ali Sarna."

"It's Kono," Kono greeted, with more cheerfulness than she had in the morning.

"Hello, Kono," Ali greeted in the same cheerful manner.

"The boss wants us to reconvene at HQ," Kono informed. "We found some evidence."

"Perfect timing," Ali said as Danny pulled into the parking lot of the headquarters building. "See you in a bit."

Steve stood by the table top computer with Kono as Ali and Danny walked in to headquarters. Steve felt a little happier now that Ali was back, but he had to ignore it for now. A woman was killed in one of the most disgusting ways imaginable and Steve was going to find the son of a bitch who murdered her.

"You two look happy," Kono remarked as the two blondes approached the computer.

Steve glanced at Ali, she looked tired, upset and ready to kill the next person who said one wrong word. Steve then glanced at Danny; he appeared annoyed and he wasn't wearing his tie.

"What?" Danny asked shortly.

"No tie?" Steve questioned.

"The professor had the hottest room in the history of hot rooms! You would've done the same thing!" Danny shot back.

"I was just asking," Steve defended himself as Chin came out of his office.

"What've we got?" Kono asked her older cousin.

"The lab just called," Chin informed with a concerned look.

"What's the news, then?" Ali questioned.

"The condoms we collected at the crime scene were clean," Chin explained.

"So they were just thrown there for show," Steve postulated.

"Exactly," Chin confirmed as Danny sighed.

"So now we have no DNA evidence and a Jane Doe," Danny brought up.

Steve hated to acknowledge the downside to this case, but Danny was right. They had nothing to work with from the crime scene. They now had to wait until the medical examiner finished his autopsy of the Jane Doe to find cause of death and possibly any other clues that could help the team.

"We may have more than you all think," Ali began as Steve arched a brow.

"What are you talking about?" Kono asked.

"The professor told us the symbol was used by satanic cults," Ali explained.

"Oh, right," Danny interjected. "You're 'eyes' theory."

Steve was lost; what was Ali's 'eyes' theory?

"Eyes theory?" Chin voiced Steve's question.

"She wants us to take turns _surveilling _the professor," Danny explained as everyone exchanged glances.

"I'll explain in a minute," she assured. "Anyways, a few years ago, I was sent to Estonia on an assignment. I can't share the details, but I had to infiltrate the Frakstioon Valitud, a satanic cult."

"You think that their people are here? In Hawaii?" Kono asked.

"No. I ended up sending their leader, a French national name Jacques Francois, to England," Ali explained, slightly confusing Steve. "To their MI-5 prison."

"If he's in England why does it matter?" Steve questioned.

"He broke out," Ali dropped. "This guy is the one who's after me. I think he's here on the island, trying to get to me through the civilians."

"What do we do?" Kono asked. "Standard procedure? Find the guy and book him?"

"No," Steve said. "If this guy is wanted by the government, he's not like any other con."

"Precisely," Ali validated. "I did think of a plan, though."

Steve had to admit that Ali surprised and impressed him. The last time he saw her before this task force she was putting on dance shoes, kicking a soccer ball and worrying about her grades, but today she could come up with a quick solution to a problem that would have devastated anyone else.

"Eyes theory," Danny said as Ali rolled her eyes.

"No, that's the professor, Daniel," Ali corrected. "I was thinking, we get the assassin, David Vlotkovsky to come to me. Then when he tries making his move, we make ours and bring him back here where we do a type of questioning dubbed extraordinary rendition-"

Steve couldn't believe what Ali was proposing. Extraordinary rendition involved torture and even though he has crossed the line with the last case, he couldn't let Ali torture a suspect in the interrogation room. It wouldn't work, the assassin would never talk because he was most likely already put through something worse.

"Ali, torturing him here won't help our cause," Steve declined. "Besides the governor could make a surprise visit and –"

"Did I hear you correctly? I mean did the man who grilled Sang Min for hours on end with a stun gun just say he isn't torturing someone?"

"Danny-"

"Well, then, we make it seem like we can control his life. We make it seem like we know every detail about him," Ali proposed, putting an end to an argument amongst Danny and Steve before it began.

Steve knew what she was suggesting because he was taught how to go through that sort of interrogation, as both the interrogator and detainee.

"We were taught different ways of interrogating someone, Ali," Chin posed.

"I know how to do what she's talking about," Steve spoke up.

"Of course, Super SEAL saves the day," Danny piped up.

Steve ignored the blonde detective and looked at Ali, "Do you have any files on Francois?"

"After I complete a mission everything is sent to Langley and locked up for nobody to see," she informed. "This is why nobody can mention this outside of the circle of secrets we've created."

"Got it," everyone said simultaneously.

"Why?" Ali asked Steve after a moment.

The fact of the matter was that Steve needed something to work with. He needed any information on Francois, to know what they were going up against.

"I need to know Jacques Francois," Steve explained.

"I know everything about the man. His height, weight, eye color, favorite food, aliases," Ali notified.

"It's been a few years, Ali, even you know that he's probably changed," Steve posed as she nodded.

"What do you want us to do?" she asked.

"Ali, Kono and Chin, I want you guys to stay here and figure out who our Jane Doe is. Ali call anybody you can, try to get any CIA files on Francois. Then write down everything you remember about the guy, how he looks, sounds," Steve ordered.

"Will do," Ali assured, grouping up with Chin and Kono to start working on their assignment.

"What are _we_ doing?" Danny questioned the SEAL.

Steve glanced at him, "We're headed to the Pearl Harbor to see if they have any files on Jacques Francois. Navy Intel is always up to date in Hawaii."

"Great," Danny groaned, following Steve out of headquarters. "More androids and cavemen to look forward to."

**Pearl Harbor Naval Base**

"What do you mean all your files on Jacques Francois were wiped?" Danny shouted at Commander Grant who was a tall, domineering man with short, ginger hair and a stare, if it could, would kill.

Steve didn't know how to express how angry he felt. He didn't believe that it was a coincidence that just as they begin to unravel the truth, files they need go missing. He knew there was something bigger at play here, that's how it always was. Steve was going to have to bluff to get what he wanted.

"Danny, come on," Steve beckoned. "We'll just go interrupt the governor's lunch with Admiral Cohan."

Grant's facial expression gave him away and Steve knew he and Danny had control of the way things were going.

"Cohan's in town?" Grant questioned nervously as cadets ran by.

Steve kept a straight face when he answered, "Sitting at _La Mer_ with Governor Jameson right now."

"I'm sorry, Commander McGarrett, I can't give you those files," Grant denied again, he at least didn't hide behind a lame lie this time.

"Listen, Grant, I know what it's like to be in your position, but if the governor is sweet talking Admiral Cohan right now and you don't give us what we want, how do you think Cohan will react? Us being the governor's task force?" Steve questioned as Grant became stone-faced.

"What you want is in a restricted section of our naval library," Grant explained. "I'll get it to you in a few days."

"We were hoping to have them now," Danny said.

"Yeah, well I want my wife to dress up each night, but that doesn't happen either," Grant shot back. "You'll have them when one of my guys finds them."

With those final words Commander Grant turned around and marched away leaving Steve and Danny alone.

"I like him," Steve said.

Danny scoffed, "He didn't remind you of anyone? Like, I don't know, _you?_"

Steve glanced at his partner with a cocky smile on his face, "That's why you felt free to shout at him."

"Let's just go before I suffer an embolism," Danny hissed turning around and leaving the main building of the naval base.

Steve sighed, knowing nothing he said would make Danny act calmer. He brushed it off his shoulder, knowing that if he wanted to work through this case, find Francois and save Ali, he would need all his focus to be on the case.

**Sorry it took forever to put this chapter online! I didn't know where to go with it, but I figured it out. Once again, I hope you guys like this one! **


	12. Chapter 11: Katia Maksasinskya

Chapter 11: Katia Maksasinskya

Team Headquarters

"You like to fight," Danny told Steve as they walked into headquarters.

Steve didn't remember why they began talking about why he was always alert, but he knew Danny somehow initiated the conversation. He had to admit, though, he never thought of himself as that combatant until Danny pointed it out.

"I like to fight?" Steve retorted, opening the glass doors which led to the main room of headquarters.

"You attract danger, you're like a magnet," Danny fired back. "But when bullets fly to you, _the magnet_, they stray and hit me!"

Steve shook his head as the duo approached Chin and Kono by the tabletop computer, "You got shot once!"

"Once is enough, my friend!" Danny shouted as Kono and Chin exchanged a glance with each other.

"Did you guys get anything?" Chin interrupted them.

Steve looked at his father's old partner, happy he had interceded before Danny was able to go on with the quarrel. He leaned against the tabletop computer and took a quick peek to see what the two officers were working on. It was a very long list of people that were associated with Frakstioon Valitud.

"Yeah," Steve replied still engrossed in the list, which caused the blonde detective to scoff.

"If getting files we need in a couple of days counts as getting something," Danny said.

"So what happened?" Kono asked as she scrolled through the list that commanded the SEAL's attention.

"Grant needed some convincing that Francois's files should be shared with us," Steve said as Kono shot Danny a confused look.

Steve realized Ali was the only one who wasn't present. He hadn't seen her in her office when he came in. It made him wonder if she decided to leave for Langley like she did all those years ago or if she merely stepped out.

_You're paranoid, she isn't going anywhere, _he thought.

"Where's Ali?" he asked, turning his head towards her office.

"Her old captain called, she stepped out," Chin explained, "She looked a little troubled."

"I can go see if she's okay," Kono offered, still sliding her fingers around the tabletop computer. "It really looked like she didn't want to talk to her captain."

Steve shook his head and faced his team, "I'll talk to her later. What's going on here?"

"When Ali told us Jacques Francois was sent to an MI-5 holding cell she mentioned the cult members were ordered to find her and bring her back dead. I checked to see if Interpol had any records of ex-followers," Kono explained.

Steve was impressed with the rookie's quick thinking. "Nice work-"

"Commander McGarrett," a smooth, female voice interrupted Steve.

He turned around and saw Ali's friends, Odette and Declan, making their way towards the center of the team's headquarters. Steve had to admit, the brunette was really attractive, but something about her struck him the wrong way. She seemed devious as opposed to Ali's truthfulness. Steve felt that if he told her something in confidence, his entire SEAL team would know about it the next day.

"Agent McCollough," Steve greeted her.

"Commander, I understand why you wanted us to stay and watch over Ali's house, but it's been all day," Odette reported. "An entire, uneventful day."

Steve didn't mind that the weapon's specialist was expressing her boredom; he knew how tedious it could become sitting in one place all day, waiting for something to happen when nothing was actually going to happen. It annoyed him, though, that Odette left the house without taking any measures to ensure nobody else gained access inside of it.

"It's only one in the afternoon," Steve said.

"Unless assassins operate on island time and are late to everything, nothing will happen to Ali," Odette shot back as the main doors slowly opened and Ali slipped inside. "See, she's in one piece. Right, Declan?"

"Hmm, yeah," the Irishman grunted, suggesting to Steve his mind was elsewhere.

"Yeah, but I won't be when the captain gets a hold of me," Ali interjected.

"Hey!" Danny shouted from his place by the computer. "Can you let us in on the big secret!"

"Would you just help Kono?" Steve shot back, not bothering to look at his annoyed partner.

"Look, we would be able to contribute more if you just let us do something, maybe with a little risk, a little action," Odette suggested.

"No risk!" Declan shouted, fully engaged in the conversation now.

Odette rolled her eyes, "Look, the media reported on a new case an hour ago; _please _give us something to do with that."

As much as Steve wanted their help, he didn't know what they could do. Naval Intel files on Francois would be here in a few days, Kono was already looking into their victim's identity and Ali had figured out the motive.

"Call Demetrio," Ali finally proposed.

"And do what?" Odette asked, a little aggressively.

"Ask him to send over the files on Frakstioon Valitud," Ali calmly ordered.

Satisfied, Declan nodded and quickly whipped out his phone as he turned to leave.

Not long after, Odette followed suit leaving Steve with an uneasy feeling. He didn't know what it was, but something about that woman made Steve, want to hide in a bunker.

"Who was that?" Danny asked Ali.

"Old friends, Declan and Odette," Ali answered as she shoveled through mountains of paper on her desk. "Seriously, this task force isn't even two weeks old! Why do I have so many papers on this desk?"

"You said her name was, Odette?"

She gave Danny a look that suggested he drop the subject. She felt the lonely, sad feeling she felt in Kenya creep into her heart. Ali knew she had to stop thinking this way, but it was hard. How was she supposed to ignore the feeling of uselessness whenever Odette was around? Odette was smarter, prettier and funnier. Her friend could name any type of weapon, fight using any technique and everyone longed to spend time with her. What did Ali know? She was a professional liar; that was what she was paid to do.

Ali wouldn't be so insecure about it if her boss, Captain Olsen, didn't praise Odette so much. She realized that it sounded like she was jealous, in some ways she was. Each day she spent in Langley was a day she had to let Odette receive all the praise. Olsen's latest phone call had been about how Odette accomplished something amazing.

It would surprise everyone, though, if they knew Ali had been the one who nearly died because her cover had been blown. That's the piece of news nobody heard about. Unfortunately, that was what one sacrificed as an operative. Bragging rights, egos, jealousy all had to be put aside to finish the job. Ali just wished her captain remembered that.

A knock on her door broke Ali out of her thoughts and Steve stood in the doorway.

"Can I have a minute?" Steve asked Danny.

"Oh, yeah, I was just…getting this," Danny lied about his motive for being in Ali's office and picked up her stapler.

Ali smiled as he left. It amused her how he didn't want to admit he was trying to find out more information about Odette.

"You okay?" Steve questioned Ali as she sat down in her small swivel chair.

She sighed, "Yes."

"You don't sound like it."

Ali's eyes met his encouraging ones, "I just get frustrated when Odette's around."

She saw Steve's face take on a confused look. She didn't know whether to interpret that as a good sign or a bad one. One might mean he didn't know why she allowed herself to get frustrated and the other might mean he was simply confused.

"You want to elaborate?" he pried, giving her a warm smile.

She glanced at her desk, trying to not let her insecurities get the best of her.

"Maybe later?" she suggested.

"Over drinks at my place?" Steve proposed.

"Maybe at eight?" she countered with a smile.

"Guys!" Kono called from the tabletop computer.

Ali quickly stood and dashed out of the room before she let Steve confirm or deny her suggestion. Her reaction didn't seem to surprise him, though, because instead of standing lost in thought, he was close behind her. When she reached the computer, she saw a picture of their blonde victim on the screen next to her information.

"Our victim is Katia Maksasinskya. She came into the United States a few days ago and does anyone want to take a wild guess what she's a part of?" Kono stated.

"Frakstioon Valitud," Steve answered, with his arms crossed over his chest. Ali thought it made him appear a little intimidating, but she knew it was how he stood when he was trying to piece things together.

"Lucky guess," Danny mumbled as Kono nodded her head. "Okay, this definitely eliminates rape off the list of motives."

"So now the question is," Chin began. "Why did our victim die?"

Ali knew the answer was that Francois killed her. When she was pretending to be a cult member Ali remembered Francois didn't need a motive. If someone looked at him the wrong way, they were shot on the spot and if not shot, reports of an "accident" would circle throughout the cult.

She was really glad that her old team member, Derek, had informed her about the entire scheme Francois had planned. Thinking of Derek made Ali worry about how she let him leave by himself. If Francois was on the island and he knew Derek had suspected something, the chance of Derek being alive was slim.

_He hasn't called at all and my car is still gone, _she thought as her heart rate increased.

"I have to call someone," she said suddenly, pulling out her phone and, despite, everyone's surprise ran into the nearest office.

Her heart seemed to be punching her ribs as the phone rang.

_Pick up, pick up, pick up,_she internally begged Derek.

"The number you have reached has a voice mailbox that has not been set up yet…" the annoying robot woman's voice droned on as Ali pressed the end button and dialed Demetrio's number.

"Solara Petroleum, please hold," Demetrio formally greeted her out of habit.

"No, it's me!" Ali interrupted.

"Oh, hey, Ali," Demetrio casually greeted her.

"Listen, did Derek ever make it back?" she asked, trying to control how frantic she was becoming.

"Agent Falconer? He requested time off a couple of days ago to visit his family," Demetrio informed her. Ali knew that was a lie because Derek rarely visited his family.

Ali covered her face with her hand, hoping it would help, but it only made her more anxious. What if Derek was dead? Dead like her brother, dead because of her.

"You need to get a read on him, _today,_" Ali demanded.

"Will do," her task handler assured her, which eased her worries a bit. "I'll let you know via text."

Ali stood in the office for a second, trying very hard not to let her emotions get the best of her. To her, it felt like everything was falling apart and she couldn't stop it.

_Maybe you should let it crumble, _a small voice in her mind said. _You could rebuild it all._

She took a few deep breaths to clear her mind and walked out of the office. When she came up to the computer again she noticed everyone, aside from Kono, had left.

"Where is everyone?" she asked.

"All three of them went to search Maksasinskya's hotel room," Kono informed her. "Steve wants us to wait for your CIA files and then go through them."

Ali smiled at Kono. She was impressed with Kono's skill at following a paper trail. If she hadn't gone through and found where Katia Maksasinskya had used credit cards, they wouldn't have found her hotel room.

"You're a good cop, Kono," Ali remarked as the native smiled.

"Not a cop yet," she corrected.

Ali shrugged, "You might as well be. I mean you already survived a case with Steve and Danny as partners and you're leading this case."

"Thanks," Kono smiled. "Hey, I've been meaning to ask, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Ali replied. "There's just a lot on my mind."

Ali could tell Kono felt awkward around her. Who wouldn't? Ali was an awkward person; it was one of the many things that contributed to her insecurities.

"I know you probably already confide in the boss, but if you ever need a friend, I'm here," Kono smiled.

The operative appreciated Kono's gesture and ignored the bit about "confiding in the boss". She already felt at ease with Kono, as if they had been close friends before the task force.

"Thank you," Ali said.

"And I have another question," Kono began.

Ali glanced at her, "What is it?"

"My graduation is in two weeks, the sixteenth of June," Kono explained. "Would you want to come? It isn't anything special."

The agent smiled and felt somewhat odd. It wasn't that she was never invited to an event. She usually was never able to _go _to these events because of her job. She had to admit, that it was nice to be able to come to her own house in the evening, go out for drinks with friends and be able to see her family every day. She now suspected that her brother, Josef, had planned her falling in love with Hawaii when he asked her to stay for a few weeks. If he had, he was one smart guy. Ali realized that while she was completing missions she had been miserable, but now that she was in Hawaii, she felt more content.

"Yeah, I'll be there," Ali confirmed and with that substantiation she knew that she had, somehow, said yes to moving back to Hawaii.


	13. Chapter 12: The Truth About Max

**Chapter 12: The Truth About Max**

**McGarrett House**

That night Steve sat in the kitchen as he went through the things in his dad's old toolbox. He was able to figure out that it was evidence, but of what? He replayed the last conversation between him and his dad, trying to think if the older McGarrett had coded anybody's name (like he did with "champ"). There had to be someone who knew what everything, or at least something, was in the box. If Steve could only find them and ask them how all the items were connected. He was left with a medal, a postcard with dancing stick figures, and a tape recorder. He knew there was a tape in the small electronic, he just hadn't had time to listen to it in its entirety.

Steve looked up at a clock that had been hung on the wall since he was a kid; it was half past seven and Ali was coming in thirty minutes. Steve put everything in the toolbox, stood up and went upstairs to change from his work clothes.

As he changed from his work clothes into a dress shirt and jeans he thought of the case the team was working on; in Katia Maksasinskya's hotel room Danny had found a photo of the victim and a man… evidence of a boyfriend. Tomorrow the team would find that man and determine whether he was apart of this entire conspiracy.

There was one other detail that bothered Steve. Ali mentioned her cover had been blown, but she still managed to throw Francois in a holding cell. How did Francois manage to escape, find Ali (whom the CIA made sure was protected from people like Francois) and sneak into the United States? He couldn't have done all of that by himself; even bribing someone wasn't a possibility for Francois because the terrorist's assets would have been frozen as soon as someone realized he escaped. Someone else had to be behind this. This person had to have helped Francois break out of prison, funded Francois's getaway and even hired the Russian mercenary that was after Ali.

An incessant beeping noise made itself audible just as Steve stepped out of his room. He felt like kicking himself when he realized that it was the stove. He had forgotten he put lasagna in the oven before he started going through the evidence in the toolbox. He cursed under his breath and bolted to the kitchen. Luckily there wasn't any smoke surrounding the oven which Steve took as a good sign. He carefully brought the lasagna out, set it on the table and was relieved when he saw that it wasn't too burned.

Just then, the doorbell rang making him smile. His guest, possible date, had finally arrived.

"Just a second," he shouted as he quickly grabbed two beers out of the fridge and placed them next to the main course.

Steve ran to the front door, opened it and was shocked to see Danny standing in his doorway holding a small envelope.

"What are you doing here?" Steve asked as he surveyed the street behind Danny.

"That's how you greet guests?" Danny retorted back, his eyes wide at his partner's uneasiness.

"You didn't answer my question," Steve pointed out.

"Well _you _didn't answer mine," Danny shot back.

"No, that isn't how I greet guests," Steve answered grudgingly as the Danny's face contorted into an unusual expression. "Are you okay?"

"What is that scent?" he questioned.

"Lasagna," Steve answered.

"_That _is what real food is, babe," Danny remarked.

Steve was becoming a little anxious. Danny had shown up unexpectedly and Ali was due to come at any moment. The leader of the task force didn't know how Ali felt about their kiss, or if she had even told anyone. Danny already suspected that something was going on between Steve and Ali; he asked Steve about it on the way to Katia's hotel room.

"Listen, I'm expecting company," Steve informed as Danny walked in, closing the door behind himself.

"Calm down," he assured. "I'm not here for a friendly visit – which I don't know how someone does consider you friendly- I'm here because someone left this at HQ for you."

Danny handed the envelope he brought along with him to the apprehensive man. Steve was able to see that his name was written in neat cursive on the front of it; it was, however, unfamiliar handwriting.

"Who left it for me?" Steve asked.

"I would imagine a human being left it, Steven," Danny replied in a sarcastic tone.

"Someone came in to HQ and you didn't see them leave this on my desk?"

"No, someone came in to HQ and Chin dealt with it while I was in the bathroom," Danny explained. "Why are you so angry?"

Steve tried to relax, but the look on his face must have given him away.

"Company my butt! There's a woman coming here!"

"That's excellent detective work," Steve reiterated one of the first things Danny said to him when they met.

The doorbell rang again and Steve felt like strangling Danny. How would Ali feel if she saw the Jersey native? She would think Steve wasn't being discreet about whatever was happening between them.

He sighed, knowing he wouldn't be able to avoid Danny from seeing his guest. He opened the door for the second time in five minutes and saw Ali standing in his doorway with a smile on her face. He tried controlling his grin, but he was pretty sure he looked like a complete idiot. He couldn't help himself, though, even with Danny standing a few feet behind him; Ali looked very pretty. She was wearing shorts and a red shirt that wasn't too low cut, but not exactly covering her chest either.

"Hi," he said, letting her in, but not closing the door

"Hey," she greeted, her eyes immediately falling on Danny.

"_Ali_ is the woman who is coming over?" Danny asked in disbelief.

"I told you I was having company," Steve snapped back.

"Hi Danny," Ali greeted slowly with a confused look on her face.

"You two are dating?"Danny asked Ali, making her cheeks turn pink.

Steve knew it was time for him to say something, so he cleared his throat and nodded towards the street.

"I'm leaving!" Danny assured as he began walking towards the door, mumbling about lasagna.

When Steve finally closed the door, he let out a laugh. His friend was probably one of the most annoying people he ever had to deal with, but Steve wouldn't ever trade him for a different partner. Danny had a lot of excellent ideas at work and he wasn't a cop who involved himself in the politics of the job. He was a cop to make the island safer for his kid.

"You like Italian, right?" Steve asked nonchalantly, returning his focus to Ali.

"No," Ali replied making Steve look at her in disbelief.

He then saw that she was trying to suppress a smile, but failed to do so.

"I'm kidding!" she laughed allowing him to relax.

"I, uh, made lasagna," he informed her. "I hope you like it."

"Oh Steven, you know I love food," Ali remarked making him laugh.

"Well you can tell me how my cooking skills are," Steve replied entering the kitchen.

"Will do," Ali assured as Steve pulled out a chair for her. "So why was our dear friend, Daniel, here?"

"He dropped something off for me," Steve answered, reminding himself to open the letter before he went to bed.

"Oh," Ali said.

"I hope that wasn't awkward."

"It was definitely close to it."

"Because he thinks we're dating or because you weren't expecting to be ambushed by him?"

"I can't really complain about the first part, can I?" Ali remarked as she opened her beer.

This struck Steve oddly. What did she mean by that? Did she think it was a pain to have to deal with people- okay, maybe just Danny- thinking that they were dating?

"What?"

"I mean, you're just so brave and smart and, uh," she hesitated. "Good looking, I took it as a compliment when he assumed we were together."

Steve was dumbfounded because of what she said. From what he gathered, Ali just paid him a compliment. He didn't expect the reserved woman to have said that.

The evening was going great, in Steve's opinion. He told Ali of his time at the Naval High School and she shared stories about how scared she was while undergoing espionage training.

"It was all a test. Everything you had to do was a test," Ali was telling Steve as he opened his second bottle of beer.

He nodded; he knew exactly what she had been put through. Even in high school, the Navy broke a man down to the point of tears. Steve remembered one night he lay in bed and tried very hard to not cry. It had been one of those days where he let the chief petty officer's vicious words get to him.

"It for sure wasn't Kukui High School," he responded.

"The worst part was not knowing whether you were a good person or not," she said. "I mean put me in a room with a terrorist, a known terrorist who has killed people, and I'll be the first to shoot him, but sometimes… some of the things were just so… _evil."_

"Ali," Steve said, making her look up at him with her azure eyes. "I know you would find a way to do it differently, the moral way."

Ali smiled weakly, "You're the first that's ever said that. Usually people think it's Odette who thinks of ways to do it the honorable way ."

"They don't know you," Steve replied. "Is that what was bothering you at the office?"

"Not knowing if I am a good person?" Ali asked.

"Yes."

He noticed that Ali hesitated.

"No, it was Odette," she disclosed.

Steve was confused as to why Ali would be bothered by her friend; maybe she too felt that Odette seemed devious.

"Why?"

"This will sound… juvenile."

"I'm not here to judge you, Ali," Steve assured. "We've known each other a long time."

He wished he could have reminded her that they've shared a kiss and that he wasn't likely to arbitrate her because of that intimate moment between them

"It feels as if the world favors Odette just because she looks the way she does," the blonde operative confided in Steve.

It dawned on him that what Ali was really saying was that she felt insecure. Her remark earlier, about how she took it as a compliment when Danny asked if they were dating, translated into "I don't deserve you". Ali deserved way more than Steve had to offer her. He couldn't understand why such a beautiful woman would feel that way. More importantly, why couldn't she see that her personality made her a thousand times more attractive?

"Don't let yourself feel that way. Not everyone thinks that Odette has the upper hand," Steve said, taking her hand in his.

"I know, I know," Ali half smiled. "Max would make fun of me."

"He was your big brother, it would've been his job," Steve smiled.

He thought of his deceased friend and was ashamed that that he missed the funeral; his dad had shunned him for doing that. He was even more ashamed that he was best friends with Max, but didn't know anything about the day he died.

"Ali, I want to ask you something," Steve began as Ali nodded her head. "About Max."

"Yeah, I guess I owe you that much," she agreed. "Can we go outside, though? I need some air."

They both stood, still holding each other's hands, and walked to the backyard. The moon was a thin crescent in the sky and the waves calmly hit the shore as the pair strolled around the backyard. Steve wanted to be able to hold her more intimately, but he knew how she felt about that and he wanted to respect her (his father also had lectured him about _that_ when he started high school).

"How did Max die?" Steve asked.

"Um, the agency usually keeps people who've known each other prior to joining, separated. It's to make sure nobody takes stupid risks, but since Max and I worked really well together, they made an exception. It was one of my first missions and I don't know which it was for Max," Ali explained. "Anyway, we had to find a contact and find out about a possible WMD in Iraq."

"You just had to talk to the contact?"

"Yeah. The thing was he didn't show up and when we went to investigate his room, we walked into an ambush, it was three men against us." Ali continued. "We were able to lock two of the attackers on the balcony and kill the other. Max started working on a small explosive from the equipment they had. He told me to call Langley while he worked on that. I was stupid and argued that he didn't have the man power to hold them on the balcony by himself."

"What happened next?" Steve asked, still holding her hand.

"Um," her voice quivered. "One of the men must've had a phone on him because we ended up having more company. Max and I were able to get out. We ran and all I can remember is that I lost sight of Max while I was running and then I heard something blowing up behind me."

"He blew the bomb?"

"Yeah, to give me a fair chance," Ali answered, her eyes shimmery from tears which threatened to fall.

"Ali, I'm sorry," Steve said as he stopped walking so that he could embrace her. "I know how close you two were."

"It's my fault," she said, her voice cracking.

Steve looked her in the eye when he said, "He was your big brother, Ali. He wasn't going to let his little sister die."

"I just have this guilt. I could've have stopped, made sure we hadn't separated," she confided. "My brother killed himself for me and what have I done for him?"

"The day my mom died," he began slowly. "She went to the store to get cleaning supplies she asked me to pick up. I never got those supplies and I felt so guilty about it. If I had just gotten them then she still would be here."

"Steve that isn't your fault, the guy who decided to get drunk and drive… that's his fault," Ali said.

"I know, that's what my dad said," Steve explained. "He's the one who also told me that if I felt guilty, I should do certain things every day in honor of my mom. I decided that I would start working hard in school for her."

"Thank you for sharing that with me," Ali half-smiled, then lifted his hand and slipped her fingers in the spaces between his.

He felt an unusual feeling inside; it wasn't the deep love which old married couples shared, but he knew it was evolving into just that with each second he spent with Ali.

**Medical Examiner's Office**

The next day Ali walked alongside Chin as they entered the medical examiner's office. The walls of the office were painted a gloomy, gray color. The stench of putrefaction made Ali wish she stayed at headquarters to search for Katia's boyfriend, but even so, nothing was able to ruin her bright mood. She spent the previous evening eating dinner with Steve and holding his hand as she told him the truth about her brother. On their walk (this was the main reason why Ali was in the happiest of moods) they even ventured to talk about the status of relationship. They had agreed to officially label themselves as a couple, but to not go public until they solved the case. The stench became so strong, though, that Ali couldn't take it any longer.

"Explain to me why anyone would want to be a pathologist," she remarked making Chin let out a short laugh.

"It hauls in a lot of kala," Chin pointed out.

"Yeah, it also costs a lot of kala to become one," Ali jested upon their entrance of the laboratorial part of the office.

A short Asian man with glasses stood over their victim, performing the autopsy.

"Oh," he mumbled when he saw Ali and Chin. "Hello, I'm Dr. Max Bergman."

Ali noticed the way he greeted them, his words were quickly spoken; it wasn't because of nervousness, though, but more because he wanted to get to the point (at least that is what Ali assumed).

"Hey Max," Chin smiled. "I'm Chin Ho Kelly and this is Ali Sarna."

"I presume you are officers that want to question me about the victim," he postulated.

Ali nodded, not bothering to explain she wasn't technically an officer or even an investigator.

"The victim is a twenty five year old female. The official cause of death is loss of blood due to the rupturing of the iliac and deep iliac arteries and veins," Max explained without pausing to take a breath. "Toxicology analysis has not been done yet, but I found an unusual tattoo on the victim's dorsal region."

Ali and Chin waited for Max to explain what the tattoo was, but Max just continued peering into Katia's chest which had been split open with rib spreaders.

"So, Max," Ali began after she exchanged a confused glance with Chin. "Do you want to show us this tattoo?"

"Oh right," the doctor said. "I am unable to move the body because that would result in organs on the floor, but I did take a photograph in case something like this occurred."

Max turned around, walked a few feet to a metal counter and lifted a small Polaroid picture of Katia's lower back. He handed it to Chin, who held it so that Ali was able to see it also. The tattoo was of a white tiger that had its feet atop a serpent.

"Thanks Dr. Bergman," Ali smiled.

"Keep in touch, Max," Chin said as he turned towards the door. "Do you think it's the cults?"

"I don't think so," she replied, following Chin. "Only men were allowed to have tattoos and the tattoos had to be of pentagrams."

Chin arched his brow, "That's really _End of Days_."

"Yeah, you should have seen their religious garbs," Ali said. "Anyway, I'm thinking we should take another trip to the professor just in case this is another symbol."

"I'll call Steve," Chin informed as he pulled out his phone and handed the picture to Ali.

She took one more look at it. What had this woman entangled herself with? Was she another spy? Ali sighed as she wondered when the nightmare would end and allow her to walk without having to look over her shoulder every few minutes.

**Hi everyone! Thanks for reading! Sorry for taking forever to upload the chapters. Teachers this time of year seem to think we have no life outside of their class. Anyway that was chapter twelve! I hope you all enjoyed it. :)**


	14. Chapter 13: The Kiwi Club

**I would like to sincerely apologize to everybody who keeps up with this story! I have been so caught up in school and could not figure out how I wanted to write this chapter. I'm starting the next one right away so that I don't keep you guys waiting. Thanks for the patience! : ) **

**Chapter 13: The Kiwi Club**

**Task Force Headquarters**

Odette's high heels made a tapping noise as she walked down the halls of the team's headquarters. She held printed out documents from Ali's handler, Demetrio, in her hand and smiled at the thought of how disappointed this task force would be when they saw how small it really was. It was thanks to her skills in espionage that it was that tiny. She often found herself wondering why she was skilled at completing assignments that involved acting, deceiving and manipulating people. Maybe it was because she now had to kill her best friend, ex-best friend.

Odette remembered how naïve she was when she joined the CIA. She thought she would be different from everyone else, that she would be different than her family in France. She did manage to prove that she was more than just a gypsy like her mother was, more than a thief like her step-father and more than just a pretty face. She worked long and grueling hours to accomplish the missions she was assigned. She even managed to take credit for Ali's ideas. She remembered the day she met the introverted blonde. They were instant friends and considered themselves sisters within a month of knowing each other. Did Odette ever suspect she would give up the only real friend she ever had? Did she ever suspect she would kill innocent people?

_**September 15, 2007 **_

_**Langley, Virginia**_

"_Would you just calm down!" Odette and Declan shouted at Derek._

"_I don't know why we need a new team member," Derek complained, running his hand through his short dark brown hair. _

"_I don't know either," a soft voice from behind the trio interrupted their conversation. _

"_Oh," Odette mouthed as she saw a young, pale blonde woman with bright blue eyes make her way inside their command center. This was the new girl, this was Alexandra Sarna. _

"_I'm guessing you're Derek Falconer," the young woman timidly assumed. _

"_You're guessing or you know?" Derek sneered. _

"_I'm sorry?" she asked with an anxious expression on her face as Odette's stomach cringed. Derek would give her a hard time for questioning her intuition; he wouldn't let the poor girl feel accustomed to the new surroundings until she learned how to trust herself. _

"_In the spy game you have to know how to trust yourself before anybody else-"_

"_Okay! Give the poor girl a break! Alright? I'm sure she trusts herself just fine!" Odette intervened, smiling at Alexandra. _

"_Thanks," Alexandra replied. "I was afraid I wouldn't have anybody to stick up for me."_

"_Well, we are teammates now," Odette answered. "End of story." _

"You're Ali's friend, right?" Odette's thoughts had been interrupted by a short, Caucasian man she knew was Danny Williams.

Odette nodded, "I've got files from the government."

The man's hand extended and waited for Odette to hand her the small stack of information. She decided to make it look like she cared, she would pretend that whatever was in these files had to stay in them and that a jury had no right to hear about it because of government secrecy.

"Before I hand them over, Officer Williams, I need you to understand this is from the CIA," Odette said.

"I understand-"

"It stays a secret, a judge cannot hear about this nor a jury."

The officer glanced at his feet, he seemed nervous to Odette. As if he didn't trust Odette. He had no reason to believe the weapons specialist was working alongside Francois; Odette had been careful with evidence… meaning there was none.

He then looked back up at Odette, "We just need some background information on the guy."

"I'm taking that as cooperation with the Central Intelligence Agency," Odette remarked.

"No, it means I want you to go and burn this file," Danny answered sarcastically as Odette let him have the files on Jacques Francois.

She then turned around to leave, but noticed Ali wasn't in her office.

"Where's Ali?" she called with her back to Danny.

"Oh, she went to Hawaii Pacific University to talk to some professor," Danny replied as he began to leaf over the manila folder.

"And the rest of the team?"

"Steve and Kono got a call from a hotel barman about something troubling," Danny explained.

Odette felt her stomach drop. The woman who Francois had killed had symbolic scars on her hand and a tattoo. True, it wasn't much to go off on, but that's the one thing Ali had managed to be known for, using small, irrelevant clues to find bigger pieces of evidence.

Odette couldn't let her find out the truth; that she was behind the demise of her old friend. She didn't remember how it exactly began, but she remembered receiving a letter in the mail from her mother who lived in France. The letter (although she was pretty sure it was from Francois now) described how Francois's health was declining and that her mother wished she would visit him before anything happened, so Odette did. She flew to England and used her connection with Sir John Sawers, the Security Intelligence Service's executive, to see her stepfather.

Odette remembered seeing him in the prison. His hair had been a revolting length and she almost didn't recognize him because of the way he had aged. They talked, Odette recalled, about nothing in particular the first few times, but then he began telling her about why he was put away. She learned that Ali had put him in the prison and she didn't blame her friend, it was a part of the job. Odette knew that.

It had been the job that convinced Odette to join Francois's little scheme. Dangerous missions that nearly killed her and a check that barely paid for the house she lived in with Declan changed the way she looked at things. She couldn't stand for something like that; it was a slap in the face.

Francois explained his deal, it was radical, but Odette had been known for radical ideas. One of Francois's managers offered him a large sum of money, around thirty-eight million, to find Alexandra and kill her. He explained that his boss was now the leader of the assumed cult and wanted to purify the new leadership by killing off the person who had torn the group apart… Alexandra Sarna. Odette felt uneasy about dealing with someone who was insane (anyone who believed that _had_ to be crazy), but the money was just too appealing. She shook hands with her stepfather and helped him escape from prison.

After Francois was a free man, both of them traveled to Russia, where they used warring millionaires to kill each other to obtain their little black books. It was in their little black books that Odette found an assassin's name, David Vlotkovsky, and she hired him to assassinate Ali. When he failed to do the job, he was killed and Odette decided to do it herself, but Francois told her the plan had changed. The job now was to kidnap Ali and bring her back to Estonia to some small village Francois's employer lived in.

"Thank you Kono," Odette said, a little nervously, and sent him a half smile. "I'll see you later."

"I'm Danny!" she heard him shout after her and realized she made a mistake. She had shown someone she was under duress.

"Of course, I'm sorry, lot's of names, hard to remember," Odette lied and quickly marched out of the team's headquarters and pulled out a prepaid phone. She dialed her stepfather's number and waited for him to answer.

"She's putting it together," Odette informed when he answered.

"The professor?"

"You know?"

"What can I say? I followed her," Francois gruffly replied and Odette imagined him sitting in an expensive car, smoking a cigarette. "We'll introduce ourselves tonight."

"I'll get ready."

**Hawaii Pacific University**

"Professor," Ali knocked on the large door that led to Professor DeBroglie's office. Chin stayed in the car to call Kono about the update and she was alone, aside for a folder with pictures of Katia's tattoo.

"Eh, come in!" she heard him shout from afar.

When she entered his office she was surprised to see that it was a lot more messier than his classroom. He had a large, oak desk on which he stacked thick books and papers; his walls were covered with either photos of him in different countries or old, parchment-like posters of symbols.

"Detective," he greeted, making Ali remember she lied to him earlier.

"Professor," she smiled warmly. "I had a question about another symbol."

"Do you have a photo?"

"Oh, yes," Ali quickly pulled out a photo out of the folder. "This is it."

The professor looked at it closely. She knew it wasn't much to go off on, it was just a tattoo which probably meant nothing, but she had to try. The littlest details always offered something. There was another knock on the professor's door which made Ali turn her head around. A young female student with dark hair stood in the doorway.

"Just a second, I'll be right with you," DeBroglie shouted as he looked up at Ali. "This, detective, is a gang tattoo."

"A gang tattoo?" she repeated.

"I'm sure of it!" he excitedly reassured. "It's an Eastern European gang, they have no name and they're nothing like the Yakuza or Cartel, but they do have dealings with illicit drugs."

"Are you sure professor?" Ali asked in confusion. How had this case gone from being about religion to drugs?

"If I weren't, I would quit immediately and get a job at a gift shop," he replied, making Ali think of Chin's previous job.

"I know of an opening," she jested as he laughed.

"Thankfully I'm quite pleased with this job," DeBroglie responded.

"Yeah," Ali nodded. "Thank you professor, I'll let you know about the gift shop."

With those final words Ali turned around to leave Professor DeBroglie's office. She noticed the girl who knocked on the door had taken a seat on a chair a few feet away and was working on some homework. Ali smiled as she passed the girl who quickly stood up and let her books fall to the ground.

"You're a cop?" she chased after Ali.

Ali stopped walking and looked at the girl, "Yeah, why?"

"I heard you talking about a gang from Easter Europe-"

"That's police business-"

"No!" the girl interrupted. "My boyfriend… he isn't the smartest or the most hardworking, but he means well. We were at a club when some dude with this Russian sounding accent comes up to us and starts talking with Nick."

Ali gave the girl and incredulous stare, "What did they talk about?"

"Drugs," the girl explained making Ali's day _a lot_ easier.

"Okay, give me your name, the name of the club and a description of the guy," Ali ordered.

**Task Force Headquarters**

"I've got miraculous news!" Ali sang as she walked back in to headquarters with Chin closely following her.

Steve couldn't help but grin at how relieved she looked. Her smile, he decided, was definitely her best feature; it lit up her face and her eyes seemed to sparkle even more.

"She must have _just _gone out for malasadas," Danny remarked, stifling a laugh from Kono.

"No," Ali rolled her eyes.

"We just found a suspect," Chin informed.

Steve, along with Danny and Kono, looked at the pair as if they just told him the president was behind this. He couldn't say that he wasn't impressed; after running into a near dead end, they managed to find someone linked to Katia.

"How?"

"A young wahine overheard the keiki talking to the professor and told us about our guy," Chin notified.

"So who's the suspect?" Kono asked inquisitively.

"We haven't put a face on the guy," Ali said. "But that's because he's smart and used an alias."

"What's his alias name?" Danny questioned.

"Andrew Jackson," Chin revealed, causing everyone to raise a brow.

"Like the-"

"President," Steve finished for Kono. "Where do we find him aside from our currency?"

"At Club Kiwi," Ali informed. "He's a part of an Eastern European gang that has a hand in drug deals. He might be able to lead us to Francois. We have a description of the guy and our witness remembers him ordering mojitos three times."

"Why would the mojitos ever be of importance?" Danny asked with scrutiny.

Steve gave him a look then said, "Because, it means that's his favorite drink and something to recognize him by."

Steve saw Ali give him a thankful smile, and then focused back to the conversation.

"What's our move?" Kono asked.

"I think it's time for Ali to do some spying," Steve suggested.

"Undercover work?" Ali probed.

Steve nodded his head as the main, glass doors flew open and Declan stepped in nervously.

"Hey, buddy, your wife was here half an hour ago," Danny shouted, which Declan ignored.

"We have to talk," Declan nervously demanded as he looked at Ali.

"Oh, um, yeah," she agreed apprehensively. "This will just take a minute, guys."

She led Declan to her office, where she closed the door and had him sit down. Steve didn't want to be one of the men that overreacted about a situation, but it was pretty hard for him not to. He just saw a man that was nearing hysteria, demand that Ali talk to him.

"You want me to check it out?" Kono offered.

"No, we'll let her explain herself," Steve declined as he stared into Ali's office, at the duo talking about whatever was bothering Declan.

He decided to focus on formulating a plan for Club Kiwi instead of worrying about Declan. It was hard for him to remember that Ali was a spy and knew how to handle herself.

"I want the Camaro to be the car she arrives in at the club," Steve began. "Danny, it's your lucky day you get to wear a suit and tie as you are the driver."

"Great," Danny jestingly smiled. "Which tie should I sport?"

"You can _sport_ any tie you want to as long as it doesn't distract you from the job, I know you were born to ooh and ah at pretty things-"

"I was not born to ooh and ah at pretty things!" Danny defended himself.

"That is the biggest lie of the century!" Steve argued as Kono and Chin rolled their eyes.

"How? How is the biggest lie of the century!"

"Any pretty girl makes your jaw drop!"

Danny nodded his head to show that he knew he was defeated and after a second of silence he said, "When you say you'll pay for drinks, my friend, _that_ is the biggest lie of the century."

"Whatever, just listen" Steve sighed. "Kono and Chin you two will also go inside the club as backup. Do not approach Andrew Jackson, leave that to Ali."

"Where will you be?" Chin asked.

"Behind the club. I'm not seeing Jackson by himself," he answered. "We'll have Ali lead him out back, where he will be by himself. If all goes well, you two can make your exit to the Camero while Ali and I handle our friend and we all meet up here with Andrew Jackson."

"Got it," Kono nodded her head.

"Club Kiwi," Chin remarked. "The flashiest club on Oahu."

Steve glanced at Danny who said, "So… a red tie?"


	15. Chapter 14: Ending Battles

**Chapter 14: Ending Battles  
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Ali closed the door to the Camaro and glanced at Danny. He was wearing a suit and sporting a red tie.

"Nice tie," Ali remarked to which Danny smiled.

"Thank you, I picked it out myself," he bragged as he put the car in 'D' and began to drive.

Ali then looked at her own outfit, a form fitting, short black dress, and realized she felt a little uncomfortable. She preferred dresses that guaranteed coverage, but she brushed it away. It wasn't as if she were going to a family event. She was going undercover as a girl who had wealth and wanted to spend it on drugs that she couldn't come by legally.

"You okay?" Danny questioned.

"Yep," she replied.

"How exactly are you going to approach the guy?" he asked as he made a turn.

"I'm going in as Victoria Lorent, if he seems attracted to me, that can be one way," she explained. "If not, then I'll approach as a potential business partner."

Danny nodded his head, "Seems like you've figured this out."

Ali then began to say, "Let's hope so, if he doesn't believe I'm Victoria we'll have a problem."

"Yeah, well, you're a spy and he's a gangster," Danny pointed out. "I don't think you'll have trouble."

Ali thanked him then looked out her window. She was thinking of Declan… how he ran in to headquarters extremely distressed. He tried telling her something, but then her phone rang and she had to answer it. What had he wanted to tell her? She hadn't seen him that afraid since they worked a mission in the Philippines. Their lives had been in danger because they had been compromised by their arms dealer.

"Hey, uh, your friend from the CIA," Danny brought up. "She called me Kono."

Ali gave him a skeptical look, "She probably made a mistake."

"It was weird, she froze up afterwards a little and said there were too many names to remember," he explained.

Ali found this odd, but she reasoned that people made mistakes, even ridiculous ones like calling Danny, Kono.

"I'm sure it was nothing, Danny," Ali assured, going back to looking out the window.

The sun was now a shade of a deep orange and was low in the sky. In about an hour the sky would be dark, allowing people to see the star-filled skies. They drove along the shore of a rocky beach and Ali opened her window to hear the rush of the waves.

"You _like_ the sound of the waves?" Danny asked.

"Yeah, I'm not one of those people that gets real deep with nature, but it's calming," she clarified. "Why? Don't you like the beach?"

"No. Not these beaches at least."

"I'm guessing you had some sort of mishap when you were a kid," she teased. "You were promised a trip to Hawaii as a child and it never happened."

"Something along those lines," Danny answered as he turned onto the street which the club was located on. "You need a gun?"

"No," she responded. "Kono and Chin will be there as backup, I'll be fine."

"Okay," he said as he stopped the car in front of the club.

Ali's eyes scanned the scene. Club Kiwi had a long line of people dressed similar to her, waiting to enter. There was a bouncer holding a clipboard who looked as if he would prefer to be tortured rather than stand in front of the club. Ali sympathized with the bouncer; clubs were not on her list of favorite places. The reason behind it was that she had a terrible ordeal occur while in a club. She saw Steve kiss Catherine and from that point she never really enjoyed the club scene, but she never told anybody that. She always said that she simply preferred to sit on the beach and listen to the waves.

"Oh, here's an earpiece," Danny handed her a button sized earpiece.

She quickly put it in her ear and said, "Everyone hear me?"

"Yes," she heard Steve say.

"Loud and clear," Chin's voice came over the piece.

"Of course," Kono replied as if she were speaking with someone in the club. Some guy must have been talking to Kono and she couldn't actually speak with the team.

Danny came around and opened the door for Ali. As she exited the Camaro she caught the bouncer's eye and she smiled the flashiest smile she was able to muster.

"Victoria Lorent," she said when he tapped his clipboard.

He let her through and she heard the people in line grunt out of displeasure.

"Just cause she's rich!" she heard an annoyed woman shout, making Ali internally laugh. She was nowhere near rich in reality, but her cover was working… so far.

Ali sat at the bar, sipping on a Shirley temple (she wasn't supposed to drink on the job) and scanning the floor for a man with a similar look to the description of Andrew Jackson's. The club was filled with mostly native and local people, so Ali knew finding him was going to be easy since he was from Eastern Europe . Her eyes briefly met with Kono's, who was on the dance floor, but Ali didn't even acknowledge her. She looked down at her drink and took a small sip.

"Shirley Temple?" the bartender interrupted her.

She turned around and saw that he was tall and appeared to be of Japanese descent. His facial features were kind and his eyes were welcoming.

"Victoria Lorent, actually," she winked. "Pleased to meet you."

"Lauren?" he repeated.

"You in trouble?" Chin asked over the earpiece.

"No," she replied to Chin, but to make it sound as if she were talking to the bartender, she quickly added. "Lorent."

The bartender shook his head and jokingly said, "Like from Twilight, the one guy who wants to kill Bella."

"Really?" she asked mockingly. "I don't really read books."

"Jackson's here, went upstairs to VIP," Kono informed.

"Listen," Ali began before he could respond. "I really have to go find my friend, who I've been waiting on for quite some time, I'll drop by later for another –"

"Shirley Temple?" he supplied.

"Is that what this is?" she asked as a part of her act and then stood up to leave.

"Slick," Steve commented.

"That's how it's done, sailor boy," she jested.

"Oh, really?" Steve inquired.

"Would you two," she heard Danny sigh. "Just stop flirting and find this guy."

Ali smiled at that statement. All she wanted to do was to find this guy, find Francois and finish the case, so that she _could_ flirt with Steve.

"Jackson's still upstairs," Chin notified and Ali could hear him chuckle. She didn't know if this was at the exchange between Danny and Steve or at something else.

She began the walk up the stairs, contemplating on how to make her way past the guard standing at the top of the flight. She had to assume that hitting on him wouldn't get her through, but distracting him could work. She turned around, walked downstairs and into a bathroom that was near the bottom of the stairs.

"Kono and Chin," she said after locking herself in a stall, so that she could have a little privacy.

"Yeah?" they replied simultaneously.

"Your job is to do something crazy that would make the guard on the stairs leave his post," Ali instructed.

"What? Why?" Danny chimed in.

"So that she can get upstairs, Daniel," Steve explained.

"Shoot the guard or something," Ali proposed.

"Don't shoot the guard," Danny interjected.

"Wasn't going to," Kono finally answered.

"Okay, don't shoot the guard, but you have to harass him," Ali explained. "He'll press his little button beneath the countertop that summons the guard and I can get upstairs."

Ali left the stall, strolled over to the sinks to wash her hands and stepped outside of the restroom. She listened in on Chin pretending to be drunk and trying to pick a fight with the bartender. It took less than five minutes for the guard to rush down and for Ali to run up the stairs.

"Chin you may want to get out of there before he beats your head in," Ali repressed a laugh at his drunk act.

The upstairs of the club was similar to the downstairs because of the darkness, but that was the only detail the two floors had in common. There were tables with small chairs and there were sofas to sit on for those lucky enough to make VIP; there was also a separate bar, with drinks that looked way more expensive than the ones they had downstairs. Ali began to search for the suspect; he was supposed to have short, light hair, pale skin and be of a medium stature.

"I say to her, you spend your entire life…" Ali heard a loud, strong, Eastern European accented voice from the corner of the VIP. Sure enough, it was a man with short, light hair and pale skin.

She smiled as she headed towards Mr. Jackson.

"You know, I've heard about you," she flirted when she sat down across from him.

"Really?" Jackson asked skeptically, looking at Ali as if she set off a bomb. The man he was talking to arched a brow.

"I've heard things," she replied, trying to say it more sensually.

Andrew Jackson slightly smiled as he stared at Ali and let out a nervous laugh.

"Why don't you go get yourself some vodka?" Jackson ordered his friend to leave as Ali smiled seductively.

She was in control; whatever she suggested, he would follow.

_Little do you know, you're ending a battle,_ she thought as Jackson stood up and offered his arm.

**I know, this chapter is kind of boring and short, but it is leading up to something, so bear with me please! The next one will have more excitement, I promise!  
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	16. Chapter15:Threatening,Planning&Gossiping

**Chapter 15: Threatening, Planning and Gossiping **

**Team's Interrogation Room**

"You could go to jail," Danny threatened their suspect, whose real name was Aldo Nicolai.

Ali stood beside Danny in the interrogation room at headquarters. She let out an annoyed sighed at the weak threat her friend just delivered.

"What?" he accusingly demanded as Steve came in.

"Seriously?" Ali asked, her tone drenched in sarcasm. "He's shaking in fear from the thought of jail."

"What's going on here?" Steve questioned, stepping in between them as Aldo sat in the small, metal chair, his expression giving away the fact that he was confused.

"They're idiots," Aldo piped up, his accent making Ali want to hit herself.

"Hey," Steve shouted at him in a terror filling tone. "You're gonna' tell us where your friends are-"

"What will you do if I don't?" Aldo asked in a condescending manner. "Shoot me? You're police, you can't do that-"

"You want to test that theory out?" Steve shot back. "Be my guest!I only have to say that you came at one of them or me and nobody will care about what happens to you. They'll let your dead carcass rot in a shallow grave."

Aldo's jaw clenched and Ali could tell that he was beginning to become scared. He stared at the ground and a moment later looked back up at Steve, whose demeanor tormented the gangster. Even Ali was beginning to feel a little afraid, but she couldn't bring herself to tell Steve to stop berating the man because what he was doing was working.

"Alright," Steve said when the man wasn't saying anything. "Get up."

The SEAL grabbed Aldo by the collar and forced him to his feet. Ali exchanged concerned glances with Danny who shrugged his shoulders.

"What are you doing?" Danny questioned, holding up his hand to stop Steve from walking any further.

"Saying aloha to the tourist," Steve replied, leaving Danny and Ali stunned as he left the room with Aldo.

"Saying aloha?" Ali repeated.

"He's going to kill the guy," Danny said in an exasperated tone. "Then I'm going to go jail because of him."

"Let's make sure that doesn't happen," Ali proposed as she took off after Steve.

"Uh, boss?" Ali heard Kono say from the computer. "I hate to question you, but what are you doing?"

"Kono, I will tell you as soon as you find me a bucket and a rag," Steve ordered as Ali neared them.

"No!" she refuted. "Whatever you're doing, just don't!"

"Find the bucket, Kono," Steve demanded as Aldo looked from Steve to Ali to Kono.

"Water torture?" Danny shouted from beside Ali. She was so worked up over stopping Steve from doing his secret naval interrogation that she hadn't noticed Danny run beside her.

"Torturing this guy with water is your plan?" Chin, who had been silent, necessitated in a scornful manner.

Ali couldn't let that happen; she couldn't let somebody, even if she thought that they were a complete creep, endure water torture. She was shocked that Steve would go that far with his questioning. She looked at him and the expression on his face was… weird. He seemed amused and annoyed at the same time; it was almost as if … he was planning something! Ali realized he wasn't arranging any type of torture for the gangster, but, rather, _pretending_, that he was just enough to scare him into talking. Ali should have known from the start.

She put on a confident façade and sighed, "You know, Kono, let's go find that bucket."

"You too, now?" Danny asked.

"Yes, Daniel, me too. We've been running in circles and we finally find this guy and he doesn't want to tell us anything! I'm sorry, but we need to pull another red tie op," she exaggerated, hoping that everybody would catch her hint.

"Okay," Kono agreed, catching on. "Come on then, let's go find supplies for this op, Chin and Danny – you guys should stand by the doors to make sure nobody sees what we're doing."

"Vait!" Aldo finally shouted with his funny accent. "I'll tell you everything! I'll give you all of my vorkers, every single one of them! Just give me a vay out!"

Ali looked at Steve, who seemed to be celebrating a victory inside his head.

"You're mistaken Aldo," she said. "Although, you will give us those names now."

Aldo squinted up at Steve, distress in his eyes, "Vat are they talking about?"

Steve let go of Aldo and patted his back, "We weren't coming in on your drugs."

"Yeah, Dracula," Danny poked fun at his accent. "We just _vant_ to know, how you know Katia."

"Katia?"

"Katia Maksasinskya," Chin explained as Aldo's expression changed from one of fear to one of distraught.

"I know which Katia! Where is she? You found her?" he demanded and from his tone Ali was sure that everybody realized he had deep feelings for their victim. She felt her heart sink with dread.

"Aldo," Kono began remorsefully. "Katia was found dead yesterday morning."

Aldo sighed, "No, no, Katia can't be- how?"

"She was attacked with a knife and" Ali explained, she couldn't tell him that it was made to look like a rape. The man was already crying and now, Ali was trying to hold back her own emotion as she saw tears stream down Aldo's face.

"Katia vasn't married to me, obviously," Aldo began to expound. "She vas one of my closest friends since childhood. We tried to have a relationship once, but we just loved to be friends. She left to America a few months ago and I stopped hearing from her two veeks ago."

"How did she contact you?" Steve asked.

"It vas always through telephone at first, but then she began writing letters and one day even the letters stopped," Aldo informed. "The letters didn't sound like Katia, they sounded like they ver from a person who hated their life, Katia loved living."

"How did you know she was in Hawaii?" Danny pried.

"I didn't, she told me she vas in New York and I got a veird letter that vasn't signed saying she vas in Vaikiki," Aldo told the team. "So I came to surprise her, but I couldn't find her anywhere."

"Do you still have the letters?" Kono asked.

"In my hotel room," he nodded.

"Stay here," Steve ordered as he waved for everyone to follow him to the conference table.

"You believe him?" Danny asked.

"His face contorted in all the right ways," Ali pointed out.

"What?" Chin and Kono asked at the same time.

"If he were lying, his face expressions would have been awkward, like Steve's was with the water torture," Ali said.

"And his eyes would have been darting to the left," Steve added as Danny nodded.

"One thing I learned in the academy," Danny pointed at Steve. "If a suspect's lying his eyes dart to the left cause that part of the brain is the creative, story creating part."

"They didn't teach me that at the academy," Kono brought up.

"Yeah, me neither," Chin backed his cousin up.

Danny shifted uncomfortable from one foot to another, "I read one of Steve's books from his office, okay!"

Ali laughed, then covered her mouth to stifle her amusement. She didn't want Aldo to think somebody was making jokes when his best friend was found dead.

"I win," Steve directed at Danny, then focused on the group. "Ali, those letters could have been from Francois, do you have any type of writing sample to compare the letters to?"

Ali bit her lips, "I don't-"

"Yes you do!" Kono interrupted.

"I do?" Ali asked.

"The file Odette brought back, I went through that thing at least twenty times today," Kono informed. "There's a journal you stole from him on that mission!"

Ali thought back to the assignment in Estonia. She remembered seeing Francois writing every night in a journal and when Ali had to escape, she grabbed the journal which was the most crucial piece of evidence against Francois.

"She's right about the journal," Ali assured.

"Danny and Kono, we're going to escort this guy to his hotel room and get those letters, Chin and Ali find that journal," Steve ordered. "I know that's a sideline task, but see if you can find anything about his plans concerning... you."

"Sir, yes sir," Ali mocked the military man and turn around on her heel. She tried saying that last statement jokingly, but she had to admit she was becoming more fearful. The more puzzle pieces the team put together, the more she hated being the target of Francois's plans.

"What did you mean by "I win"," she heard Danny ask from behind her.

"I meant I won in convincing you that my way works too," Steve answered.

"Whoa-ho! I took it to see if that's what explains your Hulk attitude!"

"I'm sure you did."

"Whatever!" Danny replied, approaching Aldo. "By the way, there was never anything in those books about scaring the crap out of your co-workers during an assignment!"

With those final words, Danny took of the handcuffs from Aldo's wrists and walked out of the office before Steve could argue back. Ali headed towards Kono's office, which is where she assumed the files would be, when the main glass doors flew open and her sister in law walked in with Little Max, who was holding a piece of paper in his hands.

"Leah?" Steve cumbersomely greeted as he neared the doors.

"Hi," the tiny blonde greeted as Max ran up to Steve.

"Uncle Steve!" Max shouted excitedly, grabbing onto the sailor's hand.

"Hey, buddy," Steve squeezed Max's tiny fingers.

"I colored this for you and Aunt Ali!" he explained as he held up his artwork.

"Wow," Steve said with the feigned, but cute surprise adults used around children. "I love this Max, why don't you go hang it up in either my office or Ali's?"

"Okay!" the boy ecstatically said, running into Ali's office.

"That's your nephew?" Kono questioned, her eyes on Max.

"Yeah, isn't he something?" Ali bragged as Leah laughed.

"I came to see if you guys were free to go out to eat, but it looks like you're busy," Leah brought up, looking at Ali and Steve.

"We're investigating a case," Ali affirmed as Kono stared at

"Hey, keiki," Chin interjected. "You go out, I can handle the journal. You'll be back after you eat anyway."

"Oh, I couldn-"

"Ali, you go eat," Steve assured. "I'll stay here and help Chin."

"Are you sure?" she asked as Chin walked into Kono's office to look for the journal

"Hey," he pulled her off to the side. "As much as I don't want you away from me, you haven't eaten this morning, from what I remember."

Ali blushed as she remembered Steve visiting her at home that morning, "From what I remember, I didn't have much of a chance to get food this morning."

"Hey, we doing this or what!" Danny interrupted, popping his head through the doorway. "I've been waiting on the stairs with Dracula for ten minutes.

"Go eat," Steve assured her as she smile.

**H5-0**

**Hawaii Pacific University**

"He's dead," Odette pointed out, checking Professor DeBroglie's neck for a pulse, but not feeling one.

"Good," Francois waved his hand as he began to search the office.

"What are you looking for?" Odette asked.

"The keys to his car, Odette," her stepfather replied as she tied her, long, dark hair into a ponytail.

"I sense a very _evil_ plan," she remarked, stuffing her hand into DeBroglie's pocket to see if his keys were there. She felt the metal ring of a key chain; she put her finger through the loop and snatched the keys out of his pocket.

"Good work," Francois smiled, grabbing the keys and putting them in his own pocket. "We have to move him to his car."

Odette felt her mouth fall open. She didn't mind busting her butt to finish a job, but she minded when a plan wasn't thought out to the end. If they lured the professor to his car beforehand and then killed him, it would have saved them a lot of time. Now, though, she had figure out a way to move a dead body through a _university_. She took the professor by the arms and dragged him off of the chair that he had been sitting in when he was shot (it had been done, of course, with a silencer on the gun) by Francois. Odette then took his place in the chair and stared at her stepfather.

"I'm not doing anything, until you tell me what the plan is," she explained.

"We move DeBroglie to his car, we cause an accident which will attract Alexandra and her team," Francois explicated.

"Is there anything else?" Odette questioned. "Anything after that? How do we attack her? How do we get her?"

"I have not thought that fa-"

"You _need_ to think that far. It is why you got caught by her in the first place! You don't think things through to the end. Do you expect me to bust my ass and get caught? I want that money more than _anything_ and I will not get caught by Sarna, her boyfriend or that team!"

"Then start thinking," Francois ordered.

Odette grinned, "I already have an idea."

"Share."

"We do what you say, but instead of risking failure by moving his body to the car we call the school's emergency clinic-"

"Why?"

"_Because_ they have EMT's who have uniforms and gurneys and an ambulance," Odette said. "We use that as a cover."

"How?"

"We call them over here and say DeBroglie has had a heart attack. They come and we overpower them, take their uniforms and move him to the ambulance."

"Then we can put the EMT's in the ambulance and cause a crash," Francois deliberated.

"Yes, we tie their hands behind their back and their feet together, and then we throw them into the front seats of the ambulance," Odette supplied.

"Professor's books can be used as a weight on the gas pedal," Francois suggested.

"Sure, but then Ali and the team comes, we'll set ourselves up so that we can see Ali from one of the school towers and, with a sniper, we shoot her."

"She's supposed to be alive," he posed.

Odette laughed maliciously, "We shoot her so that she's grazed on her right side. It's enough so that she's rushed to the hospital without dying. We kidnap her from the hospital after she receives treatment."

"And we fly to Estonia!" Francois cheered.

"And we fly to Estonia!" Odette repeated gleefully.

**H5-0**

**Starbucks Café**

Ali sat across from her sister in law in a Starbucks as she sipped on a small coffee. She was annoyed that the coffee, the _small_ coffee, cost her nearly five dollars. She looked outside and stared at Steve's truck (he allowed her to borrow it so that she could drive herself back to HQ in case something happened).

"So, tell me about Steve," Leah inquired from her as Little Max paced around the empty coffee shop. All the young baristas were doting upon him and offering the little boy candy that they reserved for children.

Ali let out a nervous laugh as she thought of Steve. She felt like such a girl whenever she was around her boyfriend, like a delicate flower. She didn't mind, but it was weird because she was so used to feeling like… a spy, someone who slept with a gun in their nightstand.

"Leah," she began. "I can't even describe how happy he makes me."

"We can tell," Leah laughed.

"It may just be those early relationship feelings talking, but I love the way he smiles at me and he's so thoughtful and he doesn't demand sex like other men-"

"Kid!" Leah warned. "In case he walks by, I don't want him to hear."

"I'm sorry, but when was the last time you've seen me like this?" Ali giggled.

"You're right," Leah remarked. "Last time you were this excited was when you finally mended your friendship with that one friend who slept with Matt," she added quietly.

"Elyse Dantes?" Ali asked in a whisper, and then shook her head. "It didn't matter, Matt's insignificant, that was my first boyfriend and I was a junior in high school. Besides it wasn't like I was ever going to sleep with him."

"That is the first time you've admitted that," Leah said. "When that Elyse was with Matt you were so frustrated and you even insisted that you wanted to be with Matt on prom night."

"But I lied, Leah," Ali sighed. "I just wanted her to feel guilty, I never, ever thought about Matt like _that_ when I dated him."

"Because you never stopped thinking about Steve, right?"

Ali blushed, "He's one of those people that when he makes an impression on you, you'll never stop thinking about him."

"Mhm, just like you," Leah commented, taking a sip of her latte.

Ali arched a brow, "I don't follow you."

"You're a beautiful woman who knows how to fight, use a gun –"

"Stop," she rolled her eyes.

"No, it's true!" Leah insisted. "You're really smart too-"

Right then Ali's phone began to ring. The caller ID told her that it was Kono, so she guessed that it had to be something important. Ali looked up at her sister in law with an apologetic look.

"I love you because you feed my ego like that, but it looks as if I might have to go back in to HQ," Ali said.

"Go kick ass," Leah jested.

"Mommy that's a bad word!" Max gasped. He had snuck up on both of them and Ali couldn't control her laughter as she bent down to give Max a kiss goodbye.

"Oh mommy didn't mean it, Max," Ali heard Leah say as she left the coffeehouse.

"Time to kick ass," Ali repeated as she dialed Kono's number.

**I FINALLY finished chapter 15 guys! I hope everybody enjoys it! **


	17. Chapter 16: Is it Love?

**Chapter 16: Is it Love?**

**Francois's Hideout**

"Why are you back here?" Declan questioned his wife as she walked around the house which they were renting (under aliases, of course) for their stay in Hawaii.

_It isn't a stay, it's Odette's way of spitting in Ali's face, _Declan told himself. _At least I slipped the flash drive on Ali's desk. _

"I told you," she replied, a little viciously as she lugged an enormous case which held a rifle within it. "In an hour, Ali and her team are going to be at the scene of Professor DeBroglie's car crash. I needed to get my rifle because Francois forgot to think things through."

"Why are you dragging this out, Odette? Why are you even a part of this?" Declan asked angrily.

"What do you mean? I'm doing a job, Declan!" she shouted, putting the case down on the floor because of its heaviness.

"I am telling you this as your husband, Odette," Declan said, in the most serious tone he's ever used. "You're murdering your best friend for money-"

"Thirty eight million dollars!"

"I don't care how much it is!" he screamed and the look on Odette's face was one of shock and alarm. "You're acting like killing people is a game of _Life. _Well it's not, Odette, its not!"

Odette didn't reply, her eyes were vacant shells; where there once was emotion-love, joy and cheerfulness-there was now only lust for the money. It made Declan sick; he couldn't take lying to Ali, the girl who saved his life countless times, attended his wedding and was one of his best friends. That's why he went to talk with her earlier. He was planning on confessing to her, but then he thought of Odette and Francois and all he could do was complain about work, but he did put a flash drive on her desk with an outline of Odette's plan, pictures of her and Francois. Declan didn't know why handing her a flash drive was easier than simply telling her, but he had done something now. Hadn't he?

"At least answer me this," he tried again. "Why did you approach her? Why are you going to make that betrayal worse for her than it already is?"

"I had to talk to her, make her think we're best friends. I _had_ to act normal, Declan, because she's still under the impression that we're friends!" Odette explained in a childish whine. "It would have been problematic if I didn't call!"

Odette lifted the giant case and walked into the kitchen where she placed the box on the kitchen island. Declan followed her with hope that if he said something to her, she would end the operation. Everything was against him, though. Nothing, _nothing_ would convince her that she was wrong. Even with that knowledge that his wife would not listen to him, Declan had to hold on to that small hope, to that one percent chance, that something would click in her mind.

"You can't do this," he stated as the revolting stench of decaying corpses from the basement made its way to his nostrils. He was sick for still being in the house, for being in on the plot.

"Or what?" Odette scoffed. "You'll leave me?"

Declan's mind began to spin. Odette's stubbornness, the insane stress he was under and the stench… the _disgusting_ stench which had been circulating his respiratory system for however long they had been there, all contributed to this nervous breakdown.

"I'm not helping you kill her or kidnap her," Declan informed.

"What are you talking about? Stop whining and help me put this in the car," Odette ignored him.

What Declan was planning to say next was going to be hard for him. He had finally lost that small hope that had kept him sticking around. The only thing that mattered now was making sure Ali didn't die.

"I miss who you used to be," he whispered and turned to leave.

"Where is that courage from? Huh?" Odette demanded.

Declan knew it was a shock to her that he actually was leaving, but the truth was that all that fear he had must have turned into anger. Anger was his motivation right now; this wasn't a choice made by being brave, it was the right thing. If Odette couldn't see that, he wasn't going to stick around and watch her ruin her life and their marriage.

**H5-0**

**Scene of the Crash, Hawaii Pacific University Campus**

"This isn't just a regular crash," Ali brought up as she and Steve stood near the back doors of an ambulance that had crashed through the walls of a building on the campus of HPU.

Steve immediately ordered his team to the scene of the crash because DeBroglie had helped them with the symbol and the tattoo. What if he had helped them too much and was killed for it? Francois killed him for helping the team.

"There's two males tied up in the front seat, there was a weight on the accelerator and he has a bullet hole through his head," Steve noted, focusing on the scene inside. "Maybe Danny and Chin are finding some clues inside DeBroglie's office."

_This is really pissing me off, _he thought heatedly.

DeBroglie was laying on a gurney, dead. There was a bullet hole in his forehead, but the blood had been cleaned off. When he inspected the front seats earlier, there were two men who had been stripped of their clothes and the assailant had placed a book, that Steve knew belonged to the professor because of an inscription on the inside, on the gas pedal.

Steve found it hard to believe that the Russian mercenary, Vlotkosvsky, was behind all this. He knew that the root of the problem was Francois, he knew that Francois hired Vlotkovsky, but he didn't think Vlotkovsky was still on Ali. It was taking _too_ long, which was even more painful for Steve and he hated having to admit that. He hated not being by Ali all the time because he was afraid of what would happen to her. Francois was dragging this on, he was toying with her.

"I think Francois fired the Russian," Steve said as Ali's blue eyes focused on him.

Each time he looked into them he didn't think of Ali as an agent of the CIA, but as that teenage girl. She wasn't somebody who knew how to use a gun, fight almost as well as he could, and think objectively while under pressure. Ali was still the girl who became flustered when put in an awkward situation and practiced dancing in Krystyna's living room when she thought nobody was home. That's why he was so afraid for her life, he wasn't used to the fighter within her…

_**September 2001**_

"_Man, I can't believe I survived a year in the Navy," Steve remarked to Max as they pulled up in front of Krystyna's house. "It's weird having a month off and going back next week in September."_

_The two friends were at a ceremony for Steve and Max asked to tag along to see Catherine, a girl Max was sweet on. Steve was wearing his milkman uniform, a white uniform that had no insignias or medals… yet. _

"_I can't believe I'm still living at home," Max sardonically replied making Steve laugh. "And working at the Chem lab at UH."_

"_You're a poor college kid," Steve said as the two friends got out of the old Mustang. "Be happy you've got a place to live."_

"_Yeah, it was either this or move into Josef's new house," Max nodded his head. "I don't want to be around Leah while she's planning the wedding."_

"_I heard they got engaged," Steve brought up. _

"_Yeah, my brother finally grew some balls and asked her," Max laughed as they jogged up the wooden, white steps of his home._

"_Man everybody's getting old," Steve shook his head as his friend looked through the front window of the house. _

"_Everybody except her," Max remarked pointing at something that was on the other side of the window. _

_Steve leaned in to see what he was pointing at and saw the skinny, thirteen year old Sarna sibling moving around in a rhythmic pattern. _

"_Dancing?" he asked Max. _

"_Yeah, she wants to be on the dance team at Kukui," Max informed. "Our old neighbor in Detroit was this Russian lady from Moscow, ballet's big there I guess. She taught Vanilla Ice to dance."_

"_She's not just throwing random moves out there," Steve acknowledged as the girl spun around on her toe. _

_Max laughed when his sister fumbled. Steve knew it wasn't to be spiteful, it's just what older brother's did._

_There was something about the teenage girl that was different. She didn't stress over boys, like Steve's own sister did, and she didn't treat clothes and makeup as if they were the most important things; _although _Max did complain about how insecure Alexandra was. Maybe that's why she was so different. She was a pretty, genuine girl who didn't throw it other's faces. _

"_She's a good person, Max," Steve told him. "You don't have to worry about her so much."_

"_I know," Max replied as he knocked on the window to annoy his little sister._

_He saw the girl fall to the floor and glare at her brother through the glass. _

"_Come on," his companion urged as he opened the screen door and walked inside. _

_When Steve walked inside the house, he noticed that the living room had been slightly moved around by Alexandra. All the furniture had been shoved off to the sides, revealing the oak floor and giving her more room to dance. _

"_I was halfway done!" she accused in an angered tone. _

"_Chill, Vanilla Ice!" Max raised his hands up in defeat. "I've got company."_

"_You don't have any friends," Alexandra attacked, making Steve laugh as he stepped further inside._

_He saw her eyes widen and her mouth fall open. He assumed that she must have been intimidated by Steve in his uniform. The kid had never seen military personnel in her house and so up close._

"_Hey," he greeted, slightly waving at her. _

"_Hi," she mumbled as she stood up and left the living room. _

"_Hey!" Max shouted after her. "Clean up! We want to watch TV!" _

_The slamming of the back door was what Max received in reply and Steve couldn't help but express his amusement. _

"_Still think she's a good person?" Max began to laugh_

"_I think you just got burned by a high school freshman."_

"_Whatever."_

…_. _

"Steve?" Ali's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Sorry?" he asked, realizing he was still looking at her.

_She's the same, but different,_ he decided. _She's grown._

"I think you're right about Vlotkovsky," Ali said. "He's an assassin, he wouldn't be playing games with me. This has to be Francois himself."

"Ali, he's sending a message, I don't want you by yourself-"

"He's saying he'll kill anybody helping me," Ali countered. "I think I have the right to be more worried about you and the team and my brother's family."

"I'm not saying you don't, but he wants to kill _you_. Not us," Steve pointed out. "You have to promise that you won't run around guns blazi-

"Like you?" Ali interrupted.

"Babe," he whispered, realizing that he used a term of endearment for the first time. "Promise me."

Ali looked as if she wanted to say something important to him. Her lips were parted, but no words came from her mouth.

"Ali," he demanded.

"I promise," she agreed, turning to face the ambulance.

"Thank you," he sighed, and if he were allowed he would have kissed her cheek, but they were working and that was where he had to draw the line. "I'm gonna' go grab one of those evidence bags."

Ali nodded in agreement, "I'll check around the front again, maybe we missed something."

Steve turned to walk towards Kono's car. He had driven in his truck which had no evidence bags, but he knew Kono would have them in her Cruze.

"Kono!" he called to the rookie, who was questioning witnesses.

She quickly said something to the bystanders and parted ways with them.

"Excuse me!" he heard Danny's voice from the crowd that had gathered along the crime scene tape. "Clear the way! We're cops!"

_I'll see what they found in the office, _he instructed himself.

"Yeah, boss?" Kono asked when she finally reached him.

"Grab some bags from your car and help Ali tag-"

Steve didn't get to finish his statement. He was stopped by people screaming, Danny and Chin running from the crowd and Kono gasping. He turned around to see Ali on the ground. He felt his heart stop in his chest. His feet were moving before he had time to think and he on his knees beside Ali. Her light shirt was becoming stained with blood that was seeping from her body. Steve wasn't a super religious man, but he began to pray that whatever it was that hit her didn't pierce through the linings of her stomach. He couldn't let her die, not when she was the only thing that made sense in his life right now.

"Call an ambulance!" he shouted out to everybody as he lifted her shirt to see if he could stop the bleeding.

Ali's breathing was erratic even though she was trying to keep it steady. She wasn't crying or screaming, she was just trying to keep her breathing steady. This helped Steve tremendously because he wouldn't have been able look at the wound if she was freaking out, even though she had every right to be.

Steve saw that her entire front had been grazed by a bullet. It had been a sniper that shot her, Francois shot her, but he missed. He wouldn't try again, though. Ali fell to the ground, Francois had to think she was dead, but she wasn't and Steve thanked God, Jesus, the saints, the freaking angels that she wasn't dead.

He looked at the trajectory of the bullet; it scraped her right set of ribs and made its way diagonally across her abdomen. He couldn't tell if she would have scars because he didn't know how deep the grazing was. He needed to find a way to secure her, to keep her calm until the ambulance arrived.

"Just take even breaths," Kono assured.

Steve hadn't noticed Kono next to him. In fact he hadn't noticed that Danny was screaming away into his phone, that Chin was barking out orders to cops in uniforms or that Kono was talking to Ali, assuring her that she would live.

"It's only a graze, Ali," Steve explained as he felt rage beginning to overwhelm him.

He couldn't wait to find Francois and wrap his hands around the Frenchman's neck. He couldn't wait to allow hell to break loose when he found Francois.

"God, it feels," she let out, pausing to take a breath. "L-like t-the floating ribs are piercing my thoracic diaphragm."

"The nurse comes out when you're hurt," Steve slightly smiled as he held onto her hand and the blaring noise of an ambulance made itself audible.

"Just hold on," Kono encouraged, looking at Steve with a troubled look in her eyes.

**H5-0**

**Queens Hospital**

Steve sat in a chair in Queens Hospital with Little Max seated on his lap. The boy's head was buried in Steve's chest while his arms were wrapped around the SEAL's neck. He began bouncing Max on his knees; he pretended that he was only doing it to comfort Max, but he knew that he was doing it to relieve the pent up stress he had.

"My sister," he heard Leah whisper. The woman was trying to keep herself composed for her son, but Steve could tell that both she and Josef were having a hard time comprehending what was happening.

Steve hadn't realized that Ali didn't tell her family that Francois was after her ; when they came in they demanded to know everything. He explained to the couple some of the more bearable details, but excluded the ones of Ali's mission in Estonia and that she was being hunted (he told them the team was targeted).

"Ali!" Little Max wailed into Steve's chest.

Steve placed his hand on Max's head to comfort him, "Hey, Max."

"Uncle Steve," Max gazed up at Steve, teary-eyed. "I don't want Aunt Ali to die!"

"Ali isn't going to die, Max," Steve hugged him, not knowing what to say to the child. Steve remembered when he was a child, hearing that one of the adults in his life was hurt scared him and he didn't want Max to be afraid.

"Ali's just helping somebody get better because she's a nurse, son," Josef intervened as Max wiped his nose.

"Really?" he asked.

"Yes, baby," Leah lied. "Steve, we have to take him to get food. He hasn't eaten."

"You want me to-"

"We'll take him," Leah reassured.

"Max," Josef called as Max hopped off of Steve's lap and ran to his father's open hand.

"Do you want to come with us?" Leah questioned as Steve stood, intending to tag along.

"Steve!" Danny's voice echoed through the hall as the blonde detective nearly collided with a doctor.

"Can you just bring some coffees?" he asked, changing his plans and realizing how tired he really was.

"Steve," Danny breathily said as he neared Steve.

"Danny," he greeted, then slumping back down into his chair. "She's safe, Danny."

"That's good," Danny nodded his head, sitting in the chair beside Steve.

"Danny," he began, not knowing how to word his next statement. "She's different."

"I know, she's tough as nails –"

"I mean from the girls I dated before her," Steve revealed as he crossed his arms across his chest.

"I knew you two were dating," Danny commented after a few seconds of silence. "It sounds like you two are in love."

Steve sighed. Was he in love? Was that what he felt towards Ali? Things definitely changed in the past few weeks because of her; hell, six years ago she changed his life. She may have not been the first woman he became nervous around, but she was the first that he could imagine himself being with in a substantial relationship.

He finally replied, "Sounds like it."

"What's going to happen?" Danny asked.

"We've been on dates-"

"No- again, you're a caveman- I meant with the case," Danny explained.

"I find Francois and kill him," Steve vowed.

"As your friend, I agree with killing him," Danny began. "But as a cop, I've got to say you have to use your head. Even you know that, Steven."

"He hurt her, Daniel. I'm not letting that slide just because she's okay."

**I feel like this was very cliché, but who doesn't love a guy who goes crazy because his girlfriend was hurt? The next chapter will expound more on this new issue of the teams and I want to say thanks to everybody who has read and reviewed. You guys keep me writing with a smile!**


	18. Chapter 17: Unconsciousness

**Before reading this chapter, everything in italics in the beginning is Ali's nightmare and it's kind of a weird chapter. I was trying to incorporate symbolism in this chapter to see if I was any good at it, so if it isn't good, **_**please**_** let me know!**

**Chapter 17: Unconsciousness**

**Queens Hospital**

Steve sleepily looked at his watch. It was nearly two in the morning. He rubbed his face and wished that somebody had stayed with him in Ali's hospital room. He wasn't worried so much about her wound, but the fact that she was attacked in broad daylight angered him. He knew Francois was toying with them, but now he was showing that he could do anything he wanted. He glanced at Ali; she was asleep on the bed. The doctors needed to stitch her up, but, they explained, that she had been in so much pain that they needed to put her to sleep in order to put in the stitches correctly. Now, she was heavily sedated by anesthetics and didn't need to think about Francois or Estonia or any worldly problems. Steve wondered if Ali was dreaming and, if she was, what her dream was about.

**H5-0**

**Ali's Nightmare**

_Ali found herself standing in the middle of a muddy field. At least, she believed she stood in a field because the thick fog encompassing her impaired her vision and all she could see was dead grass beneath her feet. She felt weak, her entire front was aching, but she didn't know why; her head pounded, her nose was running and her throat burned._

_Ali realized she was wearing nothing but jeans and a t-shirt when goose bumps rose on her skin from the cold wind that blew. That was the explanation behind her ailments…the blustery weather. She rubbed her arms for warmth as confusion began to settle in. _

_Where was she? This place was not the sunny and warm island she lived on. Where were Steve, Kono, Danny, and Chin? She had been with them not long ago. Hadn't she? Investigating a case, _her _case. She must have been, the last thing she recollected was Steve's tight grip on her hand and Kono's lips moving as if she were talking._

"_Over here!" she heard a ghostly, girlish voice from behind her._

_She whipped around, recognizing the voice despite its eerie gist. It sounded like someone she knew, or thought she knew? She wasn't so sure she recognized the person after all. Maybe if they weren't so distant, she could tell who it was. _

_Ali turned forward to continue her walk towards… towards wherever she was headed. She felt the ground beginning to descend beneath her feet, she must have been on a hill. She could now see that there was a giant willow tree to her right that swayed in the wind which was beginning to turn icy. Ali couldn't control her body anymore; she was shaking something awful and if she didn't find warmth soon she was afraid she wouldn't make it through the night. She was already weak and wearing nothing that would defend her against the cold._

"_Can't you see me?" the same ethereal voice called out. _

_Ali ignored it along with the trepidation that was beginning to take over her. She wasn't even sure if the girl was calling out to her; what if she was just imagining it? That was when she scolded herself for being so silly. There was no reason to be afraid of the other girl in the field. She should, in fact, find her and see if she had a spare sweater so that Ali could stay warm. _

"_Help!" Ali shouted, pain searing up her burning throat. _

"_I see you," the voice said, turning into a hiss like taunt as Ali saw a dim light, covered by fog, in the distance._

"_Please," Ali croaked as the wind picked up, yet again, making her feel naked. _

"_I see you," the voice stated, closer this time. It sounded angrier, as if Ali had done something by asking for help. _

"_I hadn't meant to offend you," Ali began to explain. _

_The light was nearer, Ali was happy that the girl was coming for her even though she was annoyed. _

"_Thank you," she expressed gratitude. "I don't know where I-"_

_A small girl seemed to have materialized from the fog. She had jet black hair, brown eyes and she held onto a lantern. _

"_Are you lost?" the girl asked with a smile on her face. "Do you need help?"_

"_I-uh- yes," Ali answered, mesmerized by the girl. Where did Ali know her from? _

"_France," the girl said. _

"_What?"_

"_You're in France," she explained, staring at Ali._

"_How am I in France?" Ali mumbled._

"_You should have stayed away," the girl said in a trancelike state as, what Ali thought was a man, appeared behind the girl, dragging a pitchfork._

_When he was close enough for Ali to see, she noticed that he was larger than anybody she had met; his abdomen was both wider and longer than any normal human being. He wore a mangy, old hat that covered his face and he stared at the ground. The… man… moved his head up and Ali gasped when she looked into his eyes. They were bloodshot and crazed. He creepily smiled at Ali as she began to back away. He suddenly began swinging the pitchfork. The swings were meant to hit her, but they hit the girl and made blood ooze from where she was hit._

You have to run, _her mind screamed. _Why aren't you running!

_Her feet were slowly moving her away from the pitchfork wielding assailant. Why couldn't she run? It was true that everything ached, but she had to run away if she wanted to live! _

"_Ali!" another familiar voice yelled from somewhere in the field, distracting her. It sounded like… Steve?_

_Suddenly she felt cold metal spikes push her to the ground and when she looked up she saw the man heaving the pitchfork up to kill her…_

Ali woke with a start, her breathing was unsteady and she could tell she was sweating. She propped herself on her elbows and looked around only to see that she was not in her own house; she was in a bed, but not her own.

_A hospital bed, _she concluded after taking note of some hints, like her hospital gown and medical supplies on a table nearby.

She saw that Kono was sitting in a chair beside the bed reading a book while Steve, Chin and Danny were standing outside of her room discussing something.

Ali met Kono's eyes. Kono had welcoming, warm, brown eyes which were full of emotion and vivacity; they weren't red, like the ones from her nightmare. This allowed the spy to relax a little, but the man from her dream still haunted her and she wished more than anything that she could forget about the dream.

"You okay?" Kono asked.

"Yeah," she replied as she rubbed her own eyes. "Just a bad dream."

"Look, Steve, I'll keep an eye out on her," she heard Danny whisper in the hall. "She needs you out there looking for Francois."

"Alright," she heard Steve's voice.

Her heart was still racing from the nightmare, but she knew she was safe if the team was here. They wouldn't have let anything happen to her. Ali let her head fall back onto her pillow and suddenly felt a twinge of pain coming from her front.

"Hey, Kono?" she began in the form of a question.

"Yeah?" her friend replied.

"What exactly happened to my stomach?" she asked.

"You were shot," Steve answered walking into the room, kneeling beside her. "The accident involving DeBroglie was just a front for Francois to use his sniper rifle."

"I wouldn't put it past him," Ali remarked. "But, he isn't a marksman."

"So somebody else is helping him," Kono chimed in. "But if not the Russian mercenary, then who?"

"Family," Chin Ho finally implemented as everybody looked at him.

"He doesn't have any fam-"

"Everybody has family, keiki," Chin said. "Look, I wouldn't be saying this if we had anything else. Even if he is a terrorist, his family could be the opposite, but Kono would do anything for me, just like I would do anything for her and Danny, you told us that you_ punched_ a guy for scamming Grace when you were on vacation in New York. I'm just saying that we have to find out who this guy's family is."

"I'll get on that," Kono agreed, standing up from her chair. "We'll find this guy, Ali, and then we'll have an old fashion luau."

As everybody began moving, Danny glanced at Kono with a questioning expression on his face, "How can luaus be old fashion?"

**H5-0**

**Headquarters**

Steve stood in headquarters as he, Chin and Kono raked through every piece of information they had on Francois for the hundredth time. He needed to profile him in order to find out where he hid on the island.

"He's extravagant," Kono noted. "We can see that from the expensive suits he wears in the photographs taken of him."

"It doesn't mean he wouldn't dig a hole and hide in it," Steve said.

"Yeah, but right now he just shot Ali in front of everybody," Chin brought up. "He knows we don't have anything to tie him to the murder of Katia other than speculation and Aldo's letters that were unsigned. He's trying to tell us he can touch anybody."

"Not on this island," Steve stated as his phone rang. "McGarrett."

"Good, McGarrett, this is Commander Grant," the man explained. Steve remembered him from Pearl Harbor; he must have _just_ found files on Jacques.

"Tell me you found something," Steve said.

"I called immediately when I was told," Grant informed. "Francois was married to the deceased Agnès Fontaine in France."

"That doesn't help, Grant," he replied, feeling more frustrated than before. "If she's dead she can't be a suspect."

"Maybe the fact that Fontaine had a daughter will," Grant continued. "The Fontaine daughter was sent to live in the US when she was five. Long story short she joined the CIA when she twenty."

Steve's mind was jumping all around the place. That was the person helping Francois. Chin Ho was spot on when he predicted that Francois's family was behind all this. It would explain the sniper and all of the things that the terrorist couldn't have done by himself.

"I need a name," Steve demanded.

"Odette McCullough."

Steve suddenly pictured the tall brunette that had been "assisting" them all along. In reality she had been watching to see how far the team was with the case, to see if they were close to finding out the truth. Odette needed a way to kill Ali without making it seem like she did it. He's been in situations where his own men questioned whether or not they should stay in an emergency or desert, but this was sick. Odette was betraying her own friend.

"Find Odette," Steve necessitated hanging up on Grant.

"What-"

"She's Francois's daughter, she's the one helping him, find her!" Steve shouted as he dialed Danny's phone number.

He needed his partner to answer the phone now more than ever.

**H5-0**

Declan walked into the task force's headquarters with a feeling of emptiness. His life was falling apart, not that it had been fantastic to begin with, but now he could be sent to prison… the CIA prison (it was a lot, lot, worse than regular prison). He pushed the glass doors and felt his stomach drop to his knees when he saw how furious Steve was while shouting orders into his phone.

"Hey," Kono shouted at Declan, pulling out her gun.

Chin followed suit and Steve allowed his phone to fall to the ground in order to draw his handgun.

"Why the hell are you here?" Steve asked.

Declan put his hands in the air, "I'm guessing you guys solved everything."

"That you're married to an assassin? You guys should make sure to destroy every single piece of evidence next time," Chin commented.

"I came here to tell you exactly what Odette and Francois are planning!" Declan bartered.

"Sit down," the commander said as he lowered his gun.

Declan looked around to find a chair, but then the SEAL said, "On the ground, sit down with your hands on top of your head."

Declan did as he was told and waited for the questions.

"When did this start?" Steve began.

"About a year ago, but Odette only spoke to Francois then," he answered. "There were never any plans to kill Ali."

"Why?" Chin asked.

"There's a new leader of Frakstioon Valitud in Estonia and conditions are terrible. The leader believes that if he sacrifices Ali then that will recompense for her breaking it apart, so he paid Francois and Odette to kill her, but then changed it to kidnapping!" Declan explained.

"So it's revenge?" Kono pondered.

"No! He's a bloody Satanist! He believes that Ali needs to die," Declan cried. "I put this all on the flash drive I gave Ali!"

"She never mentioned a flash drive," Chin said as Kono lowered her gun and developed a shocked expression.

"That's because Little Max took it," she informed everybody.

"What?" Declan asked.

"Yesterday, Leah and Max came to take Ali out to eat and I saw Max playing with something on Ali's desk, but I didn't think that he would take anything," Kono explained.

"He's a little kid, he doesn't understand what going on," Chin commented. "I'll go find Leah-"

"It doesn't matter anymore," Declan interjected. "Odette already shot Ali to weaken her. They're planning on kidnapping her and taking her to Frakstioon Valitud in Estonia."

"Why didn't you come to us earlier?" Kono demanded. "Our friend is hurt, she is going to be taken and you had no guts to tell us?"

"No! I had to call Ali's handler, Demetrio. I told him everything!" Declan explained. "He's going to help, he promised."

**H5-0**

**Queens Hospital**

Danny was sitting next to Ali's bed at Queen's Hospital. Thankfully his friend hadn't fallen asleep and he wasn't bored, but sadly, Danny was hungry.

"I really like the treatment I'm getting, but if I have stitches and I'm very careful I think I can leave," Ali said.

"Just, shut-up, okay?" Danny jestingly shot down. "You were shot and Steve would choke me with my tie if I let you go."

"Alright," Ali sighed. "Did I at least look a little badass when I fell?"

Danny could not believe her. Someone was trying to kill her and she cared about looking badass. He could, however, understand, just a little, her lack of fear. If Danny was being hunted by someone who had shot him in the daylight with plenty of witnesses he wouldn't be afraid either.

"Can I ask you something? Why is that there's an entire campus of students that are witnesses and Steve goes back to HQ to look up Francois's family?" Danny changed the subject.

"Because Francois wasn't being reckless, he knows we have nothing on him," Ali explained. "He can do whatever he wants, theoretically."

"On this island? Yeah, right. Not with the American ninja on it," Danny scoffed, referencing Steve.

"Well, since I can't leave this room, Daniel," Ali brought up. "And I'm really hungry, could you maybe find a sandwich for me?"

"I thought you'd never ask," Danny smiled as he shot up from his chair. "I've never been this hungry in my life."

He could hear Ali laugh as he closed the door to the ward and headed towards the cafeteria. He would quickly find them something to eat and return to the room.

**H5-0**

In the cafeteria Danny found cheap excuses for sandwiches. There was mayonnaise with tuna, that didn't even resemble tuna in the slightest bit; it was a cream with a tint of beige in it that had been slopped down onto bread. The bread was brown and therefore whole wheat, but Danny had a hard time believing that it was healthier than the loaf of rye bread he purchased from a bakery each Saturday. He sighed as he grabbed two of the sandwiches and went to the pay.

"Six fifty," the cafeteria monitor told him as he pulled out money.

"Oh, do you by any chance have coffee?" Danny asked.

"How do you like it?" the lady asked him in a tone that signified she would much rather be at home playing a lame video game on her computer.

"A spoon of sugar," he said as the monitor walked away from the cash register and behind the counter to retrieve a cup of coffee.

Danny stood there for a few minutes, hoping that Ali was okay by herself when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He took it out and saw Steve's name on the caller ID.

"Yes," he answered.

"Danny, watch out for Odette!" Steve shouted. For a second Danny believed that his ear drum would implode on itself.

"Extra two seventy-five," the woman demanded when she returned with the coffee. Danny gave her three dollar bills, but left everything at the counter as he began to run towards Ali's room.

"The cute brunette?" Danny questioned.

"She's Francois's step-daughter and they're working together on this!"

When Danny finally made it back to Ali's ward the door was open, but nobody was inside. There were drops of blood on the floor that ended where a bloodied surgical lancet had been dropped.

"Danny! Danny!" he heard Steve shout from the other end. He forgot he was still on the phone with his partner.

"Steve, she's gone," Danny informed, unable to realize it himself. "They got her."


	19. Chapter 18: Ali Gains Confidence

**Chapter 18: Ali Gains Confidence**

Ali felt as if every single ounce of energy had left her as she tried to recall what happened. She had been at the hospital with Danny, they were laughing about something and then he left. What happened after that? Someone came into her room, but she hadn't been nervous so they must have been someone she knew… had it been Danny? No, it was a woman, it had been a friend, her best friend, Odette. Ali remembered becoming defensive for some reason.

"Wake up," she heard a voice that would haunt her to the day she died; it was Jacques Francois.

Ali opened her eyes and only to meet the bloodshot gaze of Francois.

_Stay in control, _she breathed. _He'll only hurt you more if he knows you're scared. Do what Max taught you: Act like you don't care whether you live or die. _

"Don't tell me I've got to pretend to be afraid of you, _again_," she cheekily replied as he whipped his hand across her face.

She felt the sting on her cheek even when Francois looped his arms beneath her armpits and made her sit up against a wall. Her hands were bound with duct tape along with her feet. If she hadn't felt so woozy she would've been able to break free.

"You always had something to say," he remarked. "Never at the right moment."

"Papa!" a girlish voice called from upstairs.

_That sounds like….No, _Ali recognized Odette's voice as immediately felt her heart drop to her stomach, which in turn dropped to her knees.

She remembered why she became defensive in the hospital room. Odette came in by herself, at first. She wore green scrubs and explained to Ali that she had to sneak in. Ali recalled that there was something off about her friend, she had dark circles beneath her eyes. It made the blonde spy wonder why someone who was on vacation in Hawaii was exhausted. Ali knew Odette was helping the task force (of course, she was only "helping"), but for a spy, finding some files was as simple as calling Langley… Ali's point was that Odette shouldn't have been exhausted from making a few phone calls. That was when Francois entered with a syringe full of Rohypnol, also known as roofies. Ali began fighting against them, using anything she could find in the room to defend herself and hoping that Danny would be back at any second. She was too tired from the anesthetics that the hospital gave her and she made mistakes. She hit them in the wrong places, allowed them to cut her with her own scalpel and finally, she allowed roofies to be injected into her system.

"I shouldn't be surprised, you never were honest," Ali remarked, feeling her blood boiling within her.

"You aren't crying yet," Odette venomously replied as she grabbed Ali's arm. "You were never brave."

Ali didn't know how to feel. Knowing that the person she had been closest to had been planning on killing her made her feel so worthless and friendless. She slowly began to realize that her situation mirrored the twisted nightmare she had.

_No, _Ali told herself. _Do _not _feel sorry for yourself right now. You're going to get out of this and you're going to go to Kono's graduation party with Steve. _

Ali felt a prick in her arm and saw that Odette was putting more Rohypnol into her bloodstream. At most she had thirty minutes before the drugs kicked in; thirty minutes to think. She closed her eyes …

"_Point your toes," Valentina, her babysitter and teacher, instructed. _

_Ali obeyed and waited for the next set of instructions. _

"_Arms forward and spin please," Valentina said. _

_Ali used her right foot to push her off the ground which allowed her to spin around on her left foot; she felt completely comfortable. This was her world. Dancing in Valentina's basement that had been remodeled to be a small studio was what Ali loved. Even though her toes felt as if they would fall off and the muscles in her legs screamed for a break, she didn't want to stop. Ali wanted to learn the routine she was being taught. _

"_Pryviet!" Ali heard her brothers, Josef and Max, called in Russian from upstairs. _

"_Your brothers are here," Valentina told her in her heavy accent. "You can't give up, okay? Anything you do, you have to try."_

"_Spazeba," Ali thanked her mentor as she ran upstairs to hug her brothers…._

Ali smiled as she thought of her dance lessons. They had come to an end when she moved to Hawaii, but she always wrote to the older woman named Valentina. The last time she saw her was Josef's wedding. The wedding which Ali was so excited to attend…

_Ali felt the Hawaiian sun on her back as she looked at her brother and her new sister-in-law. They stood beneath an archway covered in beautiful hibiscus flowers. She couldn't believe that Josef was finally getting married. Her new sister wore a beautiful gown that wasn't perfectly white. Crème is what Leah had called it. Her brother looked put together in his tuxedo and his perfect posture. Ali smiled from her spot beside the other five bridesmaids. She glanced ahead of her and saw her other brother, Max, and his best friend, Steve; they were the best men or groomsmen or whatever the male version of bridesmaids were called. Ali looked back at Josef and thought back to when he first met Leah. They were both studying at the University of Hawaii. Leah was studying to be a bioengineer while Josef was in chemical engineering. At first Leah wanted nothing to do with Josef. She told Max, who was also in his freshman year of college, that Josef wasn't her type. However, Josef was persistent. Ali remembered how convinced he was that Leah really did like him while everybody else told him to give up. He never listened to anybody and now Ali was calling Leah her sister. _

Never quitting, _Ali thought. _The wonders it worked.

Ali wrinkled her nose as an awful odor made its way to her nose. She forced herself to open her eyes and looked around. She wanted to hit herself for not doing that when Francois woke her up. She should have scanned the perimeter to see if she had a chance of getting out. When she saw that there was a set of stairs, she brought her hands up to her mouth and began to bite the duct tape. She knew if she bit all of the layers of tape at once she wouldn't even create a hole with her teeth. She would go layer by layer until she freed her arms and then she would unwrap her feet.

As she bit through the last layer of the tape, the odor was beginning to bother Ali... a lot. There was nothing in the room that could have caused the obvious stench of death that was hanging around. Ali looked down and saw that the floor of the basement was made of dirt. The house must have been under development if the basement didn't have a cemented floor yet. What bothered Ali was there was an uneven spot not too far from her, as if someone had dug the ground and buried something… or someone.

She used whatever energy she had to scoot over to the mound of dirt. With her newly freed hands she began shifting the dirt. She kept shoving the ground, lowering the small mound that had been there before. She kept becoming more exhausted because of the drugs, but she didn't stop. Within a few minutes Ali could see something pale poking out from the ground and it only urged her to find out what it was. After she exerted more effort she discovered a human hand with a small tattoo of a cross. She thought back to her meeting with David Vlotkovsky; he had a similar tattoo. She remembered Steve assuming that Vlotkovsky had been fired. Well he had been right, but being fired by her captors meant being killed.

"Think," she instructed herself as she heard Odette's heels tap each step on her way down.

"Should've known you weren't going to stick to your own business," Odette hissed as bent down beside Ali and used a bowie knife to cut through the duct tape on her feet.

_I can't grab the knife now, she'll alert Francois by screaming, _Ali considered. _I have to surprise her, do something she won't expect me to do._

Odette then threw a set of clothes beside Ali, "Get dressed. We're leaving."

Ali hadn't realized that she was only wearing her undergarments and an oversized t-shirt. What Odette had given Ali didn't seem any more extravagant, but at least she had been given jeans to cover her legs.

"How are you going to get a drugged girl past customs?" Ali asked out of curiosity, knowing Odette would answer because she had no reason to believe Ali had a chance to escape.

"It's a plane flying in dark," Odette replied. "You're dead, Sarna. Anyway you look at it."

That was when Ali elbowed Odette in the ribs causing the brunette to fall back. Ali hadn't elbowed her hard enough, though, because she was on her feet and standing in a crouched position with her knife in one hand, ready to fight.

"Your boyfriend isn't looking for you," Odette attacked, but Ali could tell it was only to discourage her. "Doesn't that make you _sad?"_

"A little," Ali sneered. "But killing you would make it better!"

Ali grabbed the hand with the knife in it; she had to control it in order to ensure that she wouldn't be stabbed. She then instinctively shoved Odette up against the wall using her own free hand and back. The entire time, Odette was still trying to stab Ali, but not succeeding. That was one of the things Ali was grateful for. When Odette had things handed to her because of her beauty, Ali trained long hours and earned her position. Thanks to that, Ali was a much better fighter than Odette, even if she was slowly blacking out.

"Next time you should kidnap somebody who doesn't know how to fight," Ali hissed as she disarmed Odette, then elbowed her in the neck to crush the hyoid bone which would bring a lot of pain and cause the temporary inability to speak.

Ali grabbed the knife from the basement floor as she leaned against a wall. She was definitely beginning to feel the effects of the Rohypnol. Her vision was becoming blurry, but she had to keep going. There was no way she was giving up on her own life. She had things to go home to now- Her family, the task force, _Steve McGarrett- _and she was going to find out what being happy truly meant.

"I swear to God when I come around I'm kicking your ass," Ali breathily said as she began to drag herself up the stairs.

The door at the top creaked open and she could only see the outline of Francois. Ali wasn't one to swear, but a string of the worst curse words ran through her mind as he made his way down.

"Bad timing," he grunted when his feet were on the same step which Ali was resting her head on.

She was huffing and puffing, her chest heaved up and down, trying to fight the effects of the drugs. She knew she wouldn't escape. She crossed that off, but she wouldn't allow anyone to think she was weak. She brought up her hand with the knife and stabbed Francois's foot. Jacques Francois's scream was the last thing Ali heard before she blacked out.

**H5-0**

**Headquarters**

The entire team was sitting at the conference table waiting for people Declan claimed could help and the governor of Hawaii. Steve never chewed on a pencil or tapped his fingers against a desk when he was anxious, but he was tempted to fall into those habits. The longer he waited, the longer he didn't know if Ali was safe. Declan claimed that Odette and Francois already had Ali on a plane to Estonia, but in order to have any power to save her from a different country Steve needed backing from the governor and extra man power. His team had already done everything to prepare for the rescue mission, whether it was legal or not. Kono researched the city Declan told them about, Chin gathered the tech equipment while Danny and Steve assembled weaponry.

"What do you know about the cult," Steve finally cut through the silence.

"I already told you-"

"It isn't enough," Danny backed Steve. "Who's paying Francois? What are the crazies like? What do we need to know before we get there, you schmuck?"

Steve heard the glass doors open and saw Ali's friend, Derek, walking in along with three other people behind him. There was a skinny woman with brown hair in heels, a man wearing army cargo pants (clearly ready for action) and a bespectacled man with a plaid shirt and light blonde hair. He stood to quickly greet them so that they could start their mission and his team followed.

"Commander," Derek greeted in a more serious tone than their previous meeting. "We know the situation, I've gathered a team. This is Anna, Rick and Demetrio."

"Save the pleasantries for the plane ride," Anna huffed. "It's a pleasure, but we have two agents missing; one rogue and one in danger. I think we should focus on that."

"Not without my backing," Governor Jameson made herself known as she walked in, her strides showing she was in command.

"Governor, one of our own has been abducted," Steve lay out. "She's in Estonia and we need to find her."

"_I _am not the president. _I _cannot authorize something like that," Governor Jameson pointed out as the man in army cargo pants stepped up.

"Governor, I'm Sergeant First Class Rick James. We've authorization from everybody who needs to give it-"

"Which would be who?" Jameson demanded.

"Our guys in Langley," the last man, Demetrio, said. "Estonian officials."

Steve liked the way his new associates operated. They didn't take Ali's abduction lightly and Derek came prepared with people who Steve had a hunch knew what they were doing. He was still confident in his team. Under his guidance he was sure that they would be like sailors … or soldiers.

"Governor," Kono interjected. "Ali is very special to not only Steve, but to our team. She's ohana and you, being the governor of Hawaii, should know that we don't take our ohana for granted."

"This team needing my permission is all that's stopping you?" the governor asked.

Steve wanted her to just allow them to leave already. He hated how long it was taking her to say yes.

"Yes," Derek answered. "With all due respect, could you just say yes already?"

"Go," she agreed throwing her hands up in the air.

"Danny, grab the bags we packed. Kono make sure you've got everything memorized about that place and Chin, familiarize our new friends with our tech," Steve drilled as everybody ran in different directions. "Declan, any movement until we board that plane and I'll shoot you."

"You keep them on a tight leash," Anna commented.

"Situations like this call for it," Steve replied.

"That ain't a bad thing, Anna. If you were kept on a leash you wouldn't have those spikes on your feet," the sergeant remarked turning towards Steve as Anna rolled her eyes. "Rick James. We heard about you, McGarrett, all the way in Iraq."

"Maybe when this is over we can grab a beer," Steve suggested, shaking Rick's hand as Danny handed him one of the enormous bags of guns they packed.

"Yeah, just make sure you've got your wallet, Sergeant. Super SEAL has this thing where he forgets to bring his," Danny said as everybody began to move out.

"Hey," Derek stopped Steve once they had everybody out of the office. "Listen, Declan's a good guy, he shouldn't be going into the field with us though."

"What do you suggest?"

"He should stay behind with Demetrio on the plane. He's better for that."

"Alright," Steve agreed. "He's your man anyhow."

"And McGarrett, my people aren't like Odette," Derek assured. "I've made sure of it."

Steve nodded, he knew that Derek wouldn't have brought someone on for this if he didn't think they were cut out for it. He knew that Derek would lay down his life for Ali just as soon as Steve would.

**Here's chapter Eighteen! Probably one of the more exciting ones, at least for me anyway. I just want everybody to know that Anna is based on Gabrielle Anwar and Sergeant James is based on Jeremy Renner (because I love him!). Hope everyone enjoyed reading this chapter! **


	20. Chapter 19 : Subliminal Messages

**Chapter 19: Subliminal Messages**

Steve stared out the window of the airplane which was due to land in Estonia's capitol in thirty minutes. The airplane was specifically designed for the armed forces, so the team rescuing Ali was allowed to talk freely and begin to come up with a plan of attack.

"I should do reconnaissance before we attack," Anna suggested. "Odette is bound to set traps around any areas which she believes spies or military would enter through."

Kono stood from her seat, opened the overhead compartment and pulled out a map. She unfurled it on a small table that had been built in the plane.

"Commander Grant from Pearl Harbor gave this map to us," Kono informed. "Maybe it could help."

Steve looked at the map; it was an aerial view of a small mountainous village. There weren't many houses. It was clear that any sort of larger town or city was miles away and if Ali managed to escape, she would have to hide in the forestry. Steve didn't know if Ali could survive against the elements…

"This is good," Rick said. "Even if Odette is expecting us, she still doesn't expect us to have everything we do."

"Or the amount of people coming," Derek added, sending Kono a half-smile.

"I've got these mikes," Chin explained as he began to hand them out. "They're good for about three city blocks, so don't run too far."

"Have you seen the size of this town, babe?" Danny piped up, pointing at the map. "It's smaller than my apartment."

"We should land about here," Rick informed, placing his finger on a spot in the forestry that was two and a half miles away from the village.

"Couldn't we land closer?" Kono asked.

"If we do, one of the cult members could hear the aircraft," Steve explained, understanding the reasoning behind Rick's plan.

"And it's the most cleared area, by the looks of it," Rick added.

"Wouldn't Odette set up traps there?" Kono questioned, glancing at Anna.

"She doesn't know the land as well as the cult. She's been there a total of what? Twice? None of the members will listen to her either-they don't trust her yet-and she's not expecting me, Anna and Rick, only Steve," Derek explained.

"Kono, how many people are in the village?" Steve asked, disregarding the spy's monologue.

"Around three hundred, but there could be more or less," she answered.

"Let's hope for less," Anna remarked.

"How is an entire village that practices Satanism not monitored carefully?" Chin questioned.

"It's exactly like cults in the United States. Estonia has freedom of religion and if that religion doesn't harm anyone then officials don't care," Derek replied. "They didn't think Frakstioon Valitud would ever grow or expand from that mountain region, so nobody touched them."

"Like the hill people in our mountains," Danny remarked.

"Exactly, except not inbred and focused more on rituals," Anna informed.

"How are you guys saving Ali?" Declan asked. Steve had forgotten that Declan was sitting in a corner seat of the plane.

Steve looked up at the man and felt a wave of anger sweep over him. It was because of his cowardice that Ali was abducted. It was because of Declan that Steve felt lost. Steve knew that he could kill everyone involved in her kidnapping, he could hunt down every person in the cult, he could swear to avenge her, but if Ali died there was nothing that would bring her back. He would have to live with knowing he allowed himself to be played; guilt would consume him for not checking out Odette.

"We split up into two groups," Steve suggested, coming out of his trance.

"So if one group is caught the other still has a chance of saving Ali?" Danny thought out loud.

"Tactical and gutsy," Rick nodded. "We should integrate the groups though."

"There's-what? Seven of us?" Derek said.

Steve saw Demetrio pop his head out from the cock pit where he was sitting with the pilot, "Nine of us, Derek. Two of us are an analyst and assisting."

"So seven of us," Anna backed up Derek in a defensive tone. "I hate when he does that! He's an anal-"

"Guys," Kono tried lowering tempers. "We're not here to argue whose career is more significant. We all need to work together."

"Nice put, rook," Danny remarked.

"I think Steve and Rick should lead the groups," Derek brought up. "You guys can hand out orders just as good as you take them."

"I'm with McGarrett," Danny quickly interjected, receiving confused looks from everybody. "I already know I'm getting shot at with him."

"Kono and Derek, you can come with me," Rick instructed as he strapped on his army utility belt.

"Anna, Danny, Chin," Steve waved them over to no place in particular. "You guys will be with me."

"Commander," Anna said, making him look up at her as everybody was focused on the map on the table, trying to add more to the plan.

"Yeah?" he asked as she sat beside him.

"I know you've known Agent Sarna for a long time," Anna began.

"Yeah," Steve confirmed.

"You think of her as if she just began to condition herself for this," Anna brought up to the SEAL.

Steve felt his face contort into a look of confusion, "Wh-"

"You need a clear mind for this op' and for that you need to know that she isn't helpless," Anna interrupted him. "She's been caught before and she was able to get out, getting shot isn't something new to her. This might be the first time someone's trying to kill her for a personal reason, but she's a good spy. Between you and me, Ali was going to be transferred to a secret sector in the agency. "

Steve arched a brow, "What are you saying, agent?"

"What do you think I'm saying, commander?" Anna replied.

He knew there was a different reason for Anna's little talk. He believed the part about her wanting Steve to have a clear mind, but deep down he had a suspicion that there was a different reason for Anna saving Ali. He suddenly wanted to know if Anna was really just a spy, or if she worked for a "secret sector" herself. Had Derek promised Anna that Ali would work for her if she were saved?

"I know she can protect herself," Steve backed down. "I'm going to be anxious until I see that she's okay."

Anna gave him a cunning smile before she stood and wandered off to the cockpit. Steve brought his hand to his head and rubbed his temples. Normally he didn't insert himself directly in the center of issues in the world of espionage, he was a SEAL, but now it seemed as if he was going to have to figure out what was happening.

****H5-0****

Ali shivered from the cold wind as Odette roughly pulled her out of an old, small car she used to drive from a small city airport to the village. She tried adjusting her rope bound hands as she surveyed the small piece of land that was tucked away in the mountains so that nobody could find it. To Ali, this place was hell. It was where the devil had raised an army and trained it to slaughter anyone who crossed them. While the village was tiny, it had so much power because of its previous leader, Francois. He had been so well connected in the world, but he was still hungry for power, so he created his own church by brainwashing an isolated community.

While Odette tugged on Ali's bound hands, Ali surveyed the village. The shacks that passed as houses were dilapidated as ever, the entire town was surrounded by thick forestry, trees that soared to the sky, and there were a few locals outside that were staring at the newcomers. Ali noticed that they were glaring at her, Odette and Francois. They still hated the young spy for being a professional liar, but they hated Odette just the same because of how quickly she was welcomed to work for the cult. The gears in Ali's head began to turn. If she was able to make the townspeople act on their anger towards Odette, she could slip away unnoticed and steal the car to drive to safety. Her plan was a stretch and it would take a miracle for her to pull it off, but her career was based on those two elements.

"Sasha!" Francois shouted to a young girl that looked underfed and had blonde hair.

She sauntered over, a nervous gleam in her brown eyes which had dark circles beneath them. Sasha looked wan and as if there was pressure on her shoulders that she couldn't handle. She also seemed malnourished… a side effect of the stress, perhaps? Ali saw she held her hands together and anxiously rubbed them.

"Da?" she said yes in Russian, surprising Ali.

There were never any Russian families in the village. This girl could not have been born in the cult, she had to have found her way here. She was scared, alone, and from a different culture. Ali knew her conclusion was a long-shot, but she was sure the girl was a runaway. Ali began to rethink her previous plan of turning the villagers around. She had to dig her way into this girl's head and turn only her on the villagers.

"Otvedy k tiorbmy," Francois ordered Sasha to take Ali to the jail, which was really just one cell in the basement of the Francois's old home (she assumed that whoever lead valitud lived there now).

"Da," Sasha nodded, glanced at Ali and then turned around.

Odette shoved the spy, causing her to trip over her own feet and fall in the mud. Ali felt a wave of misery wash over her as Francois sneered. Sasha turned around and rushed over to help Ali stand up.

"Otvedy k tiorbmy," Odette repeated with a sharp tone.

Sasha grabbed the rope that bound Ali's hands and began to walk with more urgency towards the jail.

As soon as they were far enough away Ali tried to catch Sasha's attention.

"You're not Estonian," she said in English as the girl stared at her.

"No," Sasha replied with a heavy accent. "I should not be having a talk with you."

"I'm from a place where your neighbor doesn't threaten to kill you," Ali told her.

"Be quite!" Sasha hissed, her eyes pleading Ali to stop talking.

"Wouldn't you like to live in a place like that? One where the devil isn't over your shoulder?"

"The devil does not scare me as much as …" the girls voice drifted away.

"As much as?" Ali urged.

"The leader. He promised me to keep me safe from everything," Sasha explained to Ali as tears pooled in her eyes.

"Is there any way you can get to my cell, Sasha?"

"Of course, I'm the one who cleans the house every day," she told the spy, who knew her plan was beginning to work.

"Visit me there today," Ali suggested as they neared the house where she would be prisoner in.

Sasha stopped walking, but Ali shook her head, knowing if they stopped it would look as if they were conspiring together.

"I will."

With that Sasha knocked on the door of the house where a man with dark hair appeared. His eyes were so dark that they appeared black. To Ali, they reflected the man's soul, the reason she had been ripped from Oahu.

"Thank you, Sasha," his lips curled into a menacing smile. "I can take our guest from here."


End file.
